How Anthony Johnson became a UFC contender

Nearly eight years ago, Anthony Johnson made the most auspicious of UFC debuts, needing just 13 seconds to defeat Chad Reiner.

It was impressive, to be sure, but Johnson wasn't really viewed as a title contender in those days. Tough? Absolutely. Physically gifted? For sure. But legitimate contender? Nah.

He was a curiosity more than anything else, just like 300-pound Jared Lorenzen was a curiosity more than a prospect as an NFL quarterback. Or, similarly, the way 7-foot-7 Manute Bol was a curiosity more than a Bill Russell-esque defensive force in the NBA.

Johnson was this freak of nature who could drop 40 or 50 pounds seemingly at will to make the UFC's 170-pound welterweight limit.

And even after it became apparent that he was only fooling himself by trying to make 170, he remained a curiosity. He was incredibly athletic for a big guy; he could do things that few people have the ability to do.

Big, most assuredly. But the next big thing? Well, let's just say that mentions of Johnson's name alongside the words "UFC champion" were few and far between.

In 2014, though, something changed dramatically.

It no longer was unreasonable to consider Johnson, 30, a title contender. Even though he brushed aside title talk at the post-fight news conference after an eye-opening, one-sided victory over Phil Davis at UFC 172 in April, it was obvious to all who watched that this was a different man than we'd seen before.

There was a seriousness to his demeanor and an intensity. He no longer had all the answers. He wasn't looking to go out for a night on the town after practice.

And now, days away from the most significant fight of his life, a match in Stockholm in the main event of a UFC card to be broadcast nationally on Fox, this is the most amazing thing:

Anthony Johnson is an honest-to-goodness legitimate contender for the UFC's light heavyweight title.

Johnson meets Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday at Tele2 Arena. With 25,000 tickets already sold, a crowd of around 30,000 is expected to cheer on Gustafsson, the local hero and the man many believe is the UFC's uncrowned light heavyweight champion.

The winner of the fight will meet Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship, probably in the summer in Las Vegas.

And while Gustafsson is about a 2 ½-to-1 favorite to win, according to the online sports book Bovada, which would set up a heated rematch with Jones, he knows full well what he's up against.

"He has incredible power and is very good at knocking people out," Gustafsson said. "It wouldn't be very smart to be thinking of Jon Jones or anyone else when I'm facing someone like that, who can hit like Anthony Johnson."

Johnson now has the look of a serious athlete who knows he's capable of big things. It's a marked contrast to the Johnson who was anything but serious during his first stint in the UFC.

After getting cut, after failing repeatedly to make weight, after looking like anything but a professional, Johnson has clearly changed his ways.

Making that change started at the top.

"I've switched my life around," said Johnson, who is 2-0 since returning to the UFC in 2014, "and that's gotten me to where I am today. Basically, I stopped listening to myself and started listening to what my coaches had to say."

Think about that for a second: I stopped listening to myself.

It's that know-it-all attitude that has doomed so many otherwise gifted athletes, but it’s a trap that Johnson is working to avoid.

Give the man credit for recognizing his weaknesses and doing something about them.

"The 170-pound A.J. is a completely different man than the current A.J.," Johnson said. "At 170, I believed in myself as an athlete and depended upon my athletic ability. I didn't dedicate the time I needed to be a better fighter.

"I had natural raw power and athleticisim on my side. But now, I'm dedicated and I'm giving it my all. I have an opportunity and I didn't want to let it get away from me."

Hockey coaches often use a saying: "Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard." That clearly applied to Johnson.

Fortunately for him, Johnson figured that out, and he points to pro football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as the kind of athlete who taught him what it took to be a true professional.

"Deion is one of the best athletes of all time, in my opinion," Johnson said. "He was a straight freakish athlete, but he took the time and he paid attention and he dedicated himself to the sports he was in. He got better because of it and that's what got him over the hump.

"He outshined everybody. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm dedicating myself to being a better fighter each day. Having talent is all well and good, but if you're not disciplined enough or dedicated enough to make the most of it, you're not going to get to where you want to be. So I'm trying to soak up the knowledge every day and make the most of my practices so I can be the best A.J. I can possibly be."