Anthony Johnson shuts down notion that Bellator is inferior to UFC

Anthony Johnson has a message for anybody who believes Bellator is inferior to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Johnson, who fought for the UFC from 2007 to 2017 and competed for the light heavyweight title two times in the stretch, migrated to Bellator to much fanfare earlier this year.

He’s now set to partake in the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, which is jam-packed with elite talent, including his opening-round rival Yoel Romero.

As his Bellator debut draws closer, Johnson hopes to prove that Bellator is on par with the UFC in terms of world-class talent.

“I’m just ready to go and fight,” Johnson said on The Spaniard Show with his former opponent Charlie Brenneman (via MMA Fighting). “I look forward to the competition that’s out there. I think we can compete with the UFC with what we have. A lot of people think that just because the Bellator promotion isn’t what the UFC promotion is that the fighters aren’t the same calibre, and there’s always levels to everything. Every business, every promotion. But Bellator is no joke.

“Look at my guy, my teammate Michael Chandler went over there and destroyed Dan Hooker,” Johnson continued. “Smoked him. But I knew that was coming. I’m like, y’all don’t realize how dangerous Michael Chandler is. And even though he came from a smaller promotion, he’s still an elite fighter. He wasn’t there being the champ and fighting the best of the best for no reason. He went to war with Eddie Alvarez and to me, Eddie Alvarez is for sure the greatest fighter ever in my opinion because he’s been to every organization and won the title. People don’t give that man credit.

“I also see that fans are now starting to understand that you don’t have to be just a UFC fighter to be successful and be able to feed your family and be something,” Johnson added. “So don’t be afraid to go outside of the box if there’s other things out there you want to be able to do in other promotions, go for it. Try it out. And I think Bellator for me was the right move.”

What do you think of these comments from Anthony Johnson?