Johnson 'not focused' on Jon Jones anymore
Anthony Johnson no longer cares about the title fight that never was.
In a recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Johnson commented on Jon Jones, whom it seemed he was destined to fight last year until the latter's arrest and suspension for a hit-and-run.
"It's just not gonna happen - at this point, I know it's not gonna happen. It is what it is. I'm moving forward. Everybody is moving forward. I'm still shooting high and trying to do what I can in this sport. I'm not focused on Jon anymore. And I can tell you Daniel Cormier, Glover (Teixeira) - they're not focused on Jon, either. Nobody in this division is focused on Jon anymore. That's a fact."
Johnson is scheduled to fight Teixeira at UFC 202 next week, in a bout that should decide light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier's next challenger. "Rumble" already fought Cormier for the then-vacant belt at UFC 187 after his bout with Jones was scrapped, losing via submission in the third round.
Prior to his loss to Cormier, Johnson had been on a tear in his return to the UFC, handily beating Phil Davis, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Alexander Gustafsson, who came closest to ending Jones' dominance of the division.
Jones' arrest indirectly ended Johnson's run and put the hex on a fight that would've surely produced fireworks, as "Bones" has yet to face an opponent who wields Johnson's power. Johnson still stands as the division's last viable contender that Jones hadn't already beaten.
Now that Jones is facing a two-year suspension for a failed drug test prior to UFC 200, the contender is understandably disappointed.
"When the UFC 200 stuff first happened, I was just in shock with everything. Maybe for a couple of days or a week or two, I was just extremely disappointed. I was like, 'Damn, this is just really not gonna happen.' I was looking forward to it just as much as anyone was. So, it does disappoint me."
When asked if a fight with Jones would be possible should he spend two years on the shelf, Johnson said he wouldn't hold his breath, adding his days in the fight game are numbered.
"I ain't trying to fight until I'm 35. I'm trying to make my money and go on to something different - do bigger and better things with my life. Hell, I don't want to get punched in the head that damn much. I've got other things I want to do."