Andrei Arlovski is a former UFC heavyweight champion and left the organization on a three-fight winning streak. Anthony Johnson is a former UFC welterweight title contender, who accumulated a 7-4 record in his time there.
So why is UFC president Dana White saying Saturday night’s World Series of Fighting 2 main event (9:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network) is not a legitimate fight?
Well, because Johnson will enter the cage at Revel in Atlantic City as a heavyweight – three divisions above the 170-pound class he fought at in the UFC.
WSOF president Ray Sefo doesn’t think it matters.
“Anthony is his own man and can fight at whatever weight he wants to fight at,” WSOF CEO Ray Sefo told MMAjunkie.com. “If he wants to fight at 205, great. If he wants to fight at heavyweight, great. Who are we to say where he fights at?”
Johnson was cut by the UFC because of his inability to consistently make 170 pounds by weigh-in day. He’s now fighting in WSOF at 205, though he’ll move up to heavyweight for the opportunity to face Arlovski in the biggest fight the company can put on right now. Johnson came in at 230 pounds in Friday’s weigh-in.
How could that be a problem? Johnson has clearly left his welterweight days in the past. He couldn’t make 170 anyway. At 205, he’s 3-0 with a highlight reel knockout of DJ Linderman at WSOF 1 in November.
“But I don’t know why he said welterweight, when I haven’t fought welterweight in over a year,” Johnson told MMAJunkie.com. “I mean, get with the program, you know what I mean? I fight at 205. I’m fighting heavyweight for this fight. Stop living in the past, when I used to fight at 170. This is totally different. People change, and some people change for the better, and that’s what happened to me. So let’s not even talk about 170. Let’s talk about 205 and heavyweight.”
It’s hard to argue that both men are two of the top fighters in the world not currently competing in the UFC. Arlovski has issues with his chin, but his hand speed and boxing are still top-of-the-line in the heavyweight division. Johnson remains an exceptional athlete. Both are exciting knockout artists.
Of course White is going to scoff at this fight – the two competitors are men that were released from the UFC for one reason or another. But there’s little doubt that this is a UFC-quality fight no matter what weight class either are in.
Arlovski-Johnson is a treat for MMA fans in our area, which usually has a death of big-time fights.
mraimondi@nypost.com