This weekend’s UFC on FOX 12 event at the SAP Center in San Jose, California features a Light Heavyweight tilt between Anthony Johnson and Antonio Rogerio Noguiera. With the fight less than a week out, Johnson is a solid (-450) favorite over Lil Nog, whose comeback is (+360).
For long time veteran Noguiera, a solid win would hopefully start a return where he stays healthy. He is 38 ears old, and his best days are clearly behind him, but he still harbors the hope of making another run towards the top of the weight class and a potential title shot. Due to injuries, he has fought twice since December 0f 2011. Overall he, has won 2 in a row over that long calendar span, beating Tito Ortiz and a hard to ignore win over Rashad Evans.
Reading between the lines, the UFC would like for Noguiera to gracefully bow out and retire. Johnson, who is a recent returnee to the UFC has the athletic, grinding style that is exactly what works against Noguiera. Noguiera’s last loss in the octagon was to wrestler Phil Davis. Now it isnt usually a good idea to compare how fighter a did with fighter b, etc but Davis lost to Johnson in AJ’s return to the octagon mainly because Johnson appeared stronger at the same things – wrestling and control.
The fact that Johnson came back to the organization he left under such poor circumstances speak to his potential as a 205 lber. IT is no secret that the UFC needs to continually recycle fighters to keep the divisions fresh, and that there really are no great opponents for Champion Jon Jones beyond Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson.
Johnson competed as a welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, but he was plagued by weight problems and was cut for a lack of professionalism. He wound up in the upstart WSOF where he established himself as their top star. The move to Light Heavyweight suited him and he is now back with the UFC.
Of the two fighters in this match, clearly the UFC wants Johnson to win and advance, as that would solve a series of problems. It introduces a fresh new fighter to the top of the weight class, and discards Noguiera once and for all, as the Brazilian still has not accepted the realities of his aging body.
