A lot has changed since Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier first collided in 2015 with the UFC light heavyweight title on the line.
For starters, Cormier is two years older than he was at UFC 187, which not a small point considering the 38-year-old champion is self-admittedly nearing his final years in the sport. But secondly, the loss Johnson suffered at the hands of Cormier appears to have propelled “Rumble” into the best run of his mixed martial arts career. Johnson sought the services of celebrated grappling coach Neil Melanson afterward to help shore up his weaknesses, and he has since emerged as a man on fire, winning a trio of contests via brutal knockouts over top-tier competition in a combined 7:07 of cage-time.