Anthony Johnson unhappy with “piss-poor performance” at Bellator 258

Anthony Johnson returned to action for the fist time in over fours years at last night’s Bellator 258 event for a light heavyweight bout with Jose Augusto.

Johnson (23-6 MMA) was originally scheduled to fight Yoel Romero at Friday’s event in Uncasville, but ‘The Soldier of God’ failed his medicals and was unable to compete.

Replacing Romero on short-notice was Jose Augusto, a Brazilian fighter training out of the Pitbull Brothers gym.

Prior to the matchup, Anthony Johnson suggested that Augusto posed more threats when compared to his previously slated opponent in Romero.

Image Credit: Bellator

While that statement is definitely debatable, the Brazilian product proved to be a worthy adversary for ‘Rumble’ yesterday evening.

Anthony Johnson appeared to be working his way to a finish in round one but then got rocked by a counter left hook from Jose Augusto. The former UFC title challenger survived the scare and went on to add another sensation knockout to his highlight reel in round two. ‘Rumble’ connected with a big right hand that sent Augusto to the floor and then proceeded to render him unconscious with a hammer fist (see that here).

It appeared to be a solid performance from ‘Rumble’, especially given the fact that it was his first fight in over four years. With that said, Anthony Johnson was not exactly patting himself on the back following yesterday’s knockout.

“(I’m) pissed,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “He hit me. I don’t mind getting hit, but I got hit and I dropped. I mean, what the hell? That ain’t me. That was a piss-poor performance on my part. I’m better than that. I know I’m better than that. You guys know I’m better than that. I’m not going to call it a lucky shot – he hit me. He caught me slipping. He got in on me. That was all on me and I’m pissed at myself that he hit me. I’m getting mad at myself. That was a dumbass performance.”

Anthony Johnson would later release the following statement on his official Instagram page:

Following last night’s emphatic victory, ‘Rumble’ is now set to face reigning Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in the tournament semifinals.