Anthony Johnson enters USADA testing pool, eligible to fight in early 2021

Former UFC title challenger Anthony Johnson has officially re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool, his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

Johnson, who retired from the sport in 2017, is eligible to return to the Octagon in February 2021, assuming he makes himself available for testing over the next six months. Retired fighters must do so before they can return to competition, according to the UFC anti-doping policy.

"UFC may grant an exemption to the six-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete," the policy states.

Johnson has talked about returning to the UFC for nearly a year, but this is the closest he's come to making a comeback. "Rumble" plans to compete in the light heavyweight division, where he fought for the title twice between 2015 and 2017.

Johnson announced his surprise retirement after a second loss to then-champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 210 in April 2017. The 36-year-old holds notable wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Glover Teixeira, and Ryan Bader.

He will join a wide-open 205-pound division after Jon Jones relinquished the belt earlier in August, leaving a vacant title bout between Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz set for UFC 253 on Sept. 26.