Update: ‘Rumble’ Fully Recovered from Meniscus Tear

---

Yesterday, Sherdog.com reported that Anthony Johnson will likely make his return against Dan Hardy on March 19 at UFC 128, an event expected to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Last week, the welterweight spoke exclusively to Sherdog.com about the knee injury that has kept him sidelined since November 2009.

“I tore my meniscus pretty good. It’s been torn for a while,” Johnson said. “Every time I’d train, it would keep tearing and hurting more and more, so I finally got surgery and had it over with.”

According to Johnson, who has trained at Cung Le’s Universal Strength Headquarters for roughly three years, he’s back to 100 percent and ready for the next challenge in his career.

“I’ve been training hard for the past four or five months,” he said. “Everything is going really good for me now.”

Asked when he would return to the cage, the 26-year-old hinted at what would later become his probable fight date against Hardy.

“I’m trying to fight in March or April. I’m trying to get in as soon as I can. I’m waiting on it right now,” he said. “I talked to Joe Silva a little bit. Right now we’re just looking for an opponent.”

Speculation regarding a possible run at middleweight for the fighter has been amplified by his knee injury, but Johnson disregarded the notion, stating clearly that he would stay at 170 pounds.

“I still have unfinished business at welterweight,” Johnson said.

The idea of “Rumble” fighting at 185 holds some water, as Johnson is one of the larger welterweights in the sport and has a history of missing weight. The fighter has been rumored to cut up to 50 pounds before a fight, a huge amount by any standard. According to Johnson, however, it’s been blown out of proportion.

“No, [I don’t cut 50 pounds]. I cut down from 210,” said Johnson. “It’s still 40 pounds, but it’s over the course of two to three months of preparation.”

At 170 pounds, there awaits a laundry list of tough fights for Johnson, including his proposed bout with Hardy. While the Georgia native is keen to compete against all comers in the division, he has his eye on two bouts in particular.

“I’m going to get a rematch with Josh Koscheck, no matter what, and I still want to fight John Howard,” Johnson said. “Those are my main guys I want to fight, but overall, I’m ready to fight whoever they put in front of me. I just want to go out and have fun and do what I love to do.”

Contrary to reports that he began his martial arts career at age 12, Johnson said that his wrestling experience at Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif., served as his only training before diving into MMA as an adult.

“I started martial arts in 2005 or 2006. I didn’t know how to throw a single punch or a leg kick or anything,” he said. “Honestly, my neighbor after college kept asking me to come to his dad’s gym, and I went and checked it out, and I loved it from the time I threw my first punch. It was just competition.”

From wrestler to knockout artist, the powerful Johnson credits his grandfather with providing him the encouragement to follow his dreams into a combat sport.

“[My grandfather] always told me that if I wanted to do something bad enough, to put my mind to it and I can do it. So that’s what I did. [MMA] is an extreme sport, and I’m really into that type of stuff. If you can possibly get hurt, I’ll probably like it.”