Sherdog’s Top 10: Late Bloomers

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8. Anthony Johnson

Many questioned whether Johnson would ever compete in the UFC again following his 2012 release, but after six straight victories in Titan Fighting Championship, Xtreme Fighting League and World Series of Fighting, “Rumble” made his way back to the Octagon.

Johnson burst on the scene in 2007, needing only 13 seconds to knock out Chad Reiner in his UFC debut. The win set the tone for what was supposed to be a meteoric rise to welterweight superstardom, but at only 22 years of age, Johnson’s body had different ideas. Johnson went 6-4 over the course of his next 10 fights under the Zuffa banner, showing brilliant finishing ability in his victories. However, three separate incidents involving failure to make weight finally ended the Blackzilian’s first tenure with the UFC; the final straw came prior to his UFC 142 defeat to Vitor Belfort. Since that day in 2012, Johnson has been on a tear, winning every contest in which he has been involved. The Boca Raton, Fla., resident has also taken up shop in the light heavyweight division -- a choice for which many fans had been calling since his issues with the scale surfaced.

In his first fight back with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Johnson took on Phil Davis at UFC 172. Johnson easily took care of business against a highly regarded opponent, making it clear that his second UFC stint would be nothing like the first. He has since followed it with a 44-second rout of respected Brazilian Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Now 30, Johnson could have his say at 205 pounds sooner rather than later.

Number 7 » Mike Thomas Brown