Don't make a mistake against Anthony Johnson – but then, we knew that already

Most of the things you can learn in 86 seconds are the things that you probably should have known already. I suspect this is true in almost all pursuits, but especially in professional fighting.

That’s why, after Anthony Johnson’s brutal knockout win over Ryan Bader just 1:26 into the first round of their UFC on FOX 18 headliner, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by a total lack of surprise. Maybe you didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, or to be the direct result of such a clear and immediate mistake, but did you really expect the outcome to be so much different?

Bader (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) must have had a sense that this was possible. Why else would he shoot for a single-leg less than 10 seconds into the fight unless he was worried that every moment spent upright across from Johnson (21-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) was absolutely fraught with peril?

Bader’s strategy seemed to be that of a man who believed that as long as he could ensure both men ended up on the floor at the same time – regardless of how or in what position – everything would work out in his favor. That turned out to be faulty reasoning, especially once Johnson ended up in full mount after a kimura attempt from Bader that felt more hopeful than tactical.

“I never get full mount,” Johnson said in his post-fight interview.

He said it the way people who win a radio station giveaway exclaim, “I’ve never won anything in my life!” There was the sense that this wasn’t necessarily earned, but still very welcome.

Once Johnson ended up in that dominant position, the thing we learned that we should have known already was that he’s not the type of fighter you can afford to make a mistake against.

That sweet new sweep you’ve been dying to try? That striking combo you saw on YouTube? Try it out on someone else. With Johnson, stick to the stuff that you know will work. Even then there’s always the chance that you’ll wake up on the floor, feeling like a bowling ball just fell from the rafters and landed on your skull.

Back when the UFC booked Johnson to fight Jon Jones, then the UFC light heavyweight champion, this was the fight’s entire selling point. We all knew Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was the best 205-pounder on the planet, if not the best fighter period, but maybe?

As in, maybe he’ll eat a Johnson right hand and get his whole world turned upside down. Maybe the fighter known for his creativity would invent his way into a knockout loss. Maybe he’d show up with doubts about this incredible punching power we keep hearing about, and leave with a painful certainty.

It’s the oldest promise in fight sports: the promise of power that transcends ability. When you really need to lean on it especially hard, you call it the puncher’s chance. That’s about all Johnson had going for him in that scheduled match-up against Jones, but it was enough, considering how easily Jones had already run through everyone else. Then he ran through that red light with just as little apparent concern, and we all know what happened next.

So Johnson fought Daniel Cormier (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in that replacement title fight, landed enough hard shots to show that there was truth in that promise after all, then wilted like bad lettuce when that wasn’t enough to win it.

With this win over Bader, he now finds himself back on the same precipice, waiting to find out whether he’s going to get another chance to cash that lottery ticket he carries balled up in his right fist.

It seems likely enough, sooner or later. Jones and Cormier can only fight so many times, after all. And even if Johnson hasn’t shown that he’s good enough to beat the very best, he does seem to be good enough to beat just about everybody else.

But that, too, is something we already knew about Johnson. And while power remains a thrilling promise when fulfilled, it’s hard not to wonder when we’ll learn something new.

For more on UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Events section of the site.