Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler, used his grappling to grind Johnson down in their light heavyweight championship bout in 2015. ‘DC’ was rocked several times but managed to snag a rear-naked choke in the third round to win the vacant 205 lbs title.
As the current champion and the No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Cormier will look to prove his boxing skills in the highly anticipated rematch on April 8.
“You’re going to see me get my hand raised,” Cormier told TMZ, per Jonathan Bradley of FOX Sports. “This time, no wrestling.