Anthony Johnson Discusses What’s Next for Him After Retirement and Being Open to a Potential Return at Heavyweight With Jon Jones

Speaking at the post-fight press conference for UFC 210 (via MMAjunkie), Anthony Johnson spoke about his retirement from MMA after his title loss to Daniel Cormier in the main event for the card. Johnson did leave the door open for a potential return down the line. Below are some highlights from the presser.

Johnson on how he felt during the fight: “I felt great. I trained my butt of to fight Daniel. You still saw ‘Rumble’ out there, trying to knock heads off and try to go out there and give his all. I went out there and did my thing, and whatever happened was going to happen. I wasn’t really worried about anything. I just went out there and did my best. Of course, I’m an athlete. I’ve always been an athlete. So I wanted to come out on top.”

Johnson on his new business venture: “It’s just business. I want to do something beside going to the gym every day, punching and kicking, and rolling around with another dude. That (expletive) get old. I’ve been doing this for so long. I’ve been in sports since I was 8. It’s just time to move on to something different. I won’t say better, but just different. And no, I am not about to play football for the Rams. Because everybody’s hitting me up and saying some crazy stuff. ‘I’m about to play for the Rams.’ Why would I go to another sport that is the same thing as this and you take the same impact? That’s absolutely insane.”

Johnson on his game plan: “The game plan was to win. (To) keep my composure, control the pace and things like that. Just in the middle of the fight, I just kind of fell off track and started playing his game, which was wrestling and things like that. I felt fine. I felt great. It wasn’t like I was tired. He beat me. I don’t take anything away from him.”

Johnson on the ups and downs in his career: “Not many people can go through hell and back like I did and still rise to the top. I didn’t win a title, but I was still knocking at that door. Nobody can say they did what I did. (I want the be remembered as) just the guy that went out there and went all out and never gave up. And even when I was down and was getting stepped on and kicked and things like that, I still kept going. I didn’t win all of my fights, obviously, but I went out there and did my best, and I think people appreciated what I did for them, and what they saw in me out there. I hope that I made a lot of people happy and excited to see me fight.”

Johnson on a potential fight for Jon Jones: “I’m an alpha male, and he’s an alpha male. I wanted to see what I can do against him. I am pretty sure he wanted to see what he can do against me. Because you guys hyped it up so much that I was supposed to be the guy who beat him, and all this and that. You guys do your job very well, hyping things up, so props to you. But I feel I’m more – I don’t know if I want to say sad, disappointed, for the fans, because I know they really wanted to see it. Day in and day out, people are always talking about Jon Jones and myself fighting each other, and it just never happened. Maybe if I decide to come back one day, we can fight at heavyweight or something like that.”