"Yeah, I'm willing to get in with BJ, Joe Schmo, everybody for the right price. I will fight Penn in a heartbeat if the price is right...My kicks and hands are never going to leave me. I'm starting to become a more well-rounded fighter, and now I'm using my wrestling and people are upset because they have never seen it. They are upset and act like it's the end of the world because I used something that I never used before. I think if the fans want to watch all standup, they should watch boxing or kickboxing. They shouldn't watch MMA...Whenever they want me back (laughing). I will fight anybody, win, lose or draw. I always give it my best no matter what. I'm down to fight whoever," stated UFC welterweight Anthony Johnson, who made it clear that he's more than willing to face anyone, including stepping in for an injured Jon Fitch to face former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn. Check out what he had to say about his impressive victory over Dan Hardy at UFC Fight Night 24 after a 16-month layoff, his future plans, and much more.
PC: Congrats on a very quality win over Dan Hardy. How do you feel?
AJ: I feel great. I'm ready to get back in there and do some more things.
PC: Before we talk about the Hardy fight, I read where you said if the price was right, you would step in for Jon Fitch and fight BJ Penn. Is that the case still?
AJ: Yeah, I'm willing to get in with BJ, Joe Schmo, everybody for the right price. I will fight Penn in a heartbeat if the price is right.
PC: The fans felt like you promised a certain type of fight, but you didn't go through with it. At the end of the day, it's all about getting a win. I thought you had a great game plan. Was the plan to throw some shots standing and then eventually take him down and beat him up?
AJ: I knew that he would bite on it when I said I would stand with him, so like I said in other interviews, I took a page out of Koscheck's book saying I was going to stand with him and then I took him down, you know what I'm saying? So I had Hardy really thinking I was gonna stand with him and I did the complete opposite. It's not like I'm going to just hand the fans my strategy of what I'm gonna do, so that's what I did. I told him I was gonna do something and I done something else. I guess my strategy was so good, it fooled the fans too and they are pissed off about it (laughing).
PC: It definitely worked. The fans have to understand that fighting is not just physical warfare, but mental warfare as well, and you won the mental warfare way before you won the physical because you psyched your opponent.
AJ: Exactly, exactly. They don't understand that because this is not their job. They are on the outside looking in; they are not on the inside looking out. They don't know what goes into this. They will say what they want us to do and what they expect from us, but until they have to get in there, they just gonna talk. They won't actually get in there and do it. They would have to shut up, learn and observe, and understand what the whole philosophy of MMA is.
PC: Exactly. I mean, if you watched GSP take him down for 5 rounds, why wouldn't you implement that into your game plan?
AJ: Exactly. At the end of the day, I just used my strength against his weakness. Usually I'm the type that will go in there and bang with anybody, and I'm still that dude, but man, what's the point of really getting hit if the dude can't stop my takedowns? I think my game plan worked out good because I only remember being hit twice the entire fight. It is what it is.
PC: You had a lot of doubters going into that Hardy fight who thought that you wouldn't make the weight. How did it feel to step on the scale, make weight, and prove your doubters wrong?
AJ: It felt good. I just wanted to prove the haters wrong. The people that stuck beside me knew I could make the weight. I knew I could make the weight the whole time and with everybody doubting me, that just made me more determined to make the weight.
PC: You guys were pretty cordial before the fight and since then, Dan has put the blame on you for a boring fight. Are you guys still cool or did it really bother you that he laid the blame solely on you?
AJ: Personally, I've never had nothing against him and I still don't have nothing against him. I did one interview and the dude was like, "Dan Hardy said that you made the fight boring." So I was like, "Fuck Dan Hardy. It's not my fault the dude can't stop a takedown, so why would I stop taking him down?" That's like if I'm fighting a southpaw and I keep catching them with that straight right hand, why would I start winging left hooks? You're gonna keep throwing it until they get knocked out or make adjustments. Hardy never made any adjustments, so I stayed with what was working. It's not my fault that I took control of the fight where he couldn't do nothing. If I had the whole year to work on wrestling, I damn sure would take it. I think right now, it's my time to work on my Jiu Jitsu skills more and I'm hopping on it so I can get better. I ain't gonna say I'm going to be at Black Belt level anytime soon, but hell, I'm going to work on it until I get decent at it. If I fought him again, I will take him down again until he could stop it. Instead of worrying about me utilizing a key part of mixed martial arts, they should be worried about him not evolving as a fighter. It ain't no point of banging with him when I don't have to. For what? In my heart, I knew I could have out-struck him. In one of his interviews, he said he would hit me 3 or 4 times before I could blink. Well, I tested him one time with a jab just to see if he would be able to counter it. By the time he threw his left hook, I was already out of the pocket. I just wanted to see how fast he really was and I just threw one shot and that was a jab. I didn't even throw a combination. By the time I threw that jab and his head snapped back and he threw his left hook, I was already out of the way. I could see his left hook coming. I tested him a little bit. I could have done a lot more, but I didn't because I just did what I had to do. I knew his weakness was the ground, so I took it there.
PC: Your kicks have also become a weapon and you hurt him in the very beginning of the fight with a head kick. Is that something you've really been working on?
AJ: It's just a part of my game plan all of the time now since I was at Cung Le's. My kicks and hands are never going to leave me. I'm starting to become a more well-rounded fighter, and now I'm using my wrestling and people are upset because they have never seen it. They are upset and act like it's the end of the world because I used something that I never used before. I think if the fans want to watch all standup, they should watch boxing or kickboxing. They shouldn't watch MMA. Some of them are to the point where they are saying, "You didn't give us what you said you were." Hell, am I supposed to hand over my game plan? A lot of people who really know MMA understood exactly what I did. But of course, there are people that say I didn't deliver what I said I was gonna do. The same people are going to watch me fight somebody else the next time to see if I do something different. At the end of the day, I'm not fighting to satisfy all of my fans. I'm fighting to get a check. I love my fans, the ones that support me and even the MMA fans that hate me, but at the end of the day, it's about getting that check, surviving, being able to pay the bills and take care of my family. I just so happen to do it through fighting. It's my job.
PC: You had been out of the cage for awhile. How did you feel getting back in there?
AJ: Honestly, before I even got in the cage I was more relaxed than I ever been before a fight. Usually, my adrenaline is pumping and I'm just ready to go, but for some reason, I was so calm and so relaxed. I was like, "Whatever!" (Laughing) Whenever the ref said let's go, my heart was still beating at the same pace it was when I walked into the cage. I was just calm. Dude, I have never been so calm before a day in my life. I told my mom that too. I told her I have never felt so relaxed in a cage, ever. It wasn't because I was fighting Dan Hardy. I was just like, "You know what? Let's just do it. I don't have anything to lose. I just gotta go out here and do my game plan and do what I do best and not worry about his hand speed, his kicks, his takedowns, or takedowns defense. Just do me." I really wasn't worried about anything. I wasn't worried about getting caught with anything. I just went out there and did me. Instead of going out there and blasting through people like I usually try to do, this time, I came out smarter and more relaxed than ever.
PC: Would you credit that to the time off and maturing as a fighter during that time off?
AJ: I think so. That could be part of it. I just...when I was out for those 16 months, I had a lot of ups and downs inside and outside of the cage, but it gave me time to reflect on myself, my career, and my life, and right now, I think I'm in a good place.
PC: You said you're willing to fight anyone. When would you like to get back inside of the Octagon?
AJ: Whenever they want me back (laughing). I will fight anybody, win, lose or draw. I always give it my best no matter what. I'm down to fight whoever.
PC: I thought it was a great performance. I look forward to your next fight. Is there anything you want to say to your fans in closing?
AJ: To all of my true supporters, thank you. Without you guys, I wouldn't be who I am today and you guys make me stronger and stronger every day with all of your support and love that you give me. So thank you and keep supporting me because I'm always going to show you the love right back.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]