That Time Light Heavyweight Contender Rumble Johnson Mauled a Much Smaller Foe

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

One of the greatest examples of the absurd lengths fighters will go to while cutting weight is that light heavyweight contender Anthony "Rumble" Johnson spent a good portion of his career at welterweight.

This made for a number of lopsided matches where Johnson mauled much, much smaller opponents. The greatest example of this? His UFC on Versus 6 bout with future lightweight Charlie Brenneman. Watch the full fight here:

The future light heavyweight utterly thrashed the soon-to-be 155-pounder, effortlessly muscling his way around his grappling attack and wrenching his way through transitions. The finish comes in the first round, as Johnson drills him with a pair of headkicks that send him (and his afro) whipping to the mat.

Yes, that guy on the right once fought at 170 pounds.Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Despite the victory (and successfully making weight), that wound up as Johnson's last at 170 pounds. He was released from the UFC after a loss in his middleweight debut. Then, while competing on the indie circuit, he moved up to 205 pounds, and even took a heavyweight fight against former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski.

He'll have the chance to take the UFC light heavyweight title from Daniel Cormier on Saturday night. He won't have a size advantage, but his power alone makes him a serious threat to the champ.