Interestingly enough, Branch also came in heavy at 189.25 pounds though Johnson still agreed to pay him a percentage of his purse to agree to a catch-weight fight.

The situation is similar to that this past January when Johnson hit the scale at 197 pounds before a bout with Vitor Belfort, drawing UFC President Dana White’s wrath and influencing the organization’s decision to release him after losing the fight. The 10-4 Johnson’s problems with making weight have been well-documented with two other instances under the UFC’s banner prior to the Belfort debacle.

Weight issues aside, Johnson-Branch will battle it out this evening on HDNet with the Titan FC broadcast starting at 10:00 PM EST.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

While he’s not dishing out any numbers at the moment, Johnson understands the curiosity surrounding his oft-strained relationship with the scale. After all, he missed his required mark multiple times in the UFC and was handed his walking papers after the most recent transgression this past January. However, while the public may be fascinated by the topic, Johnson himself isn’t obsessed with the issue because there’s nothing he can do to change things having already happened.

“I can’t hold onto the past or my mistakes. I’ve got to learn from them and keep moving. I can’t let that stuff haunt me because once it haunts you I don’t think you’ll ever get over it,” said the 28-year old Johnson in an interview with MMAJunkie Radio. “I try not to have too many regrets in my life. I have a few, but when it comes down to fighting, I don’t have any. No point. The bad stuff ain’t paying my bills.”

One of primary forces driving Johnson at the moment is his desire to return to the Octagon down the road and redeem himself. Still, as much as he wants to show the world what he’s made of on the sport’s biggest stage, “Rumble” knows he’ll have to earn an opportunity to do so that’s anything but a given.

“Of course my ultimate goal is to get back in the UFC, but I’m with Titan right now, so I can’t think about anything else,” Johnson explained. “I’ve just got to think about who I’m with and who I have to compete against. I’ve just got to be ready for David Branch. I’m not thinking about who is in the UFC or what the UFC is doing. When my time comes, it will come.”

Johnson fights fellow UFC veteran Branch (10-2) in the main event of Titan FC 22 on May 25. The event will be broadcast live on HDNet for those outside of the Kansas City area not able to attend live.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The match-up was confirmed through an official press release.

“Rumble” appeared to be a legitimate future-star during his time in the UFC as a powerful welterweight with diverse striking and wrestling to back it up. However, his repeated run-ins with weight-related issues ultimately cost him his spot on the organization’s roster with the proverbial straw breaking the camel’s back in January after Johnson’s move to middleweight failed to produce better results on the scale. The 28-year old holds an overall record of 10-4 with notable wins over Luigi Fioravanti, Yoshiyuki Toshida, Charlie Brenneman, and Dan Hardy.

The 10-2 Branch also looked solid while competing under the Zuffa banner, going 2-2 with wins over Tomasz Drwal and Rich Attonito in the UFC. He has won both of his fights since being cut last spring.

No other bouts have been announced for the card.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The 28-year old powerhouse’s signing was confirmed by an official press release from the promotion where it was also revealed he’d be fighting on May 25 in headlining action at Titan FC 22. Though no opponent has been booked for the bout it is expected an announcement will be made on that front in the next week.

The event will air live on HDNet.

“I settled on Titan because it’s a good promotion, but more importantly it’s run by really good people,” said Johnson of his deal with the Kansas City-based organization. “I am so pumped to be fighting again, and I’m ready to take on whatever 185 pounder they put in front of me.”

In addition to a victory at the show, Johnson will also be looking to repair his tarnished reputation after a repeated issue with making weight while on the UFC’s roster. The final straw on that front came in January when “Rumble” failed to hit the 186-pound limit for a co-headlining clash with Vitor Belfort at UFC 142. Beyond losing the bout he also lost his job.

Johnson holds an overall record of 10-4 with seven TKOs and memorable wins over Luigi Fioravanti, Charlie Brenneman, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and Dan Hardy.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Dana White confirmed the termination of Johnson’s contract at the post-event press conference.

Johnson had reportedly come to within a pound and a half of making 186 pounds but was advised by doctors to not cut anymore weight as it was becoming a health risk. Taking the doctors advice, Johnson re-hydrated back up to 197 pounds when he stepped on the scale on Friday and weighed 211 pounds when the cage door closed on Saturday night.

Win or lose, Johnson was fighting for his job against Belfort following his weight issue. Come showtime, “Rumble” scored a couple of takedowns and damaged the right eye of Vitor before ultimately gassing out and falling victim to a rear naked choke in the final seconds of the opening frame. Other organizations likely interested in his services include BAMMA and Bellator.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

Johnson’s predicament started yesterday at the weigh-ins for tonight’s event when he came in eleven pounds heavy. As a result he was fined 20% of his purse and had to remain under 205 pounds today or else his bout with Belfort would be scrapped.

The 27-year old claimed a medical situation had forced the medical team in Rio to rehydrate him a few hours before stepping on the scale while UFC President Dana White labeled the reason as being little more than a lack of professionalism on the power-punching wrestler’s part. In fact, White has even gone on record as saying Johnson’s job may not be safe even if he comes away with a victory against seasoned veteran Belfort.

UFC 142 starts at 7:00 PM EST on Facebook before heading to FX and eventually PPV when the main card begins at 10:00 PM EST. The lineup is headlined by 145-pound champion Jose Aldo putting his gold up for grabs against unbeaten Californian Chad Mendes.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The thin ice Johnson is currently skating on stems from the 27-year old coming in eleven pounds heavy for his co-headlining collision with “The Phenom”. As a result he was fined 20% of his purse and will have to come in below 205 pounds tomorrow afternoon or watch the biggest bout of his career get cancelled.

A former welterweight who had missed his required mark before on more than one occasion, Johnson’s camp quickly came out to say the situation was related to a medical issue in the hours leading up to yesterday’s weigh-ins. However, UFC President Dana White apparently saw things differently.

“Complete and absolute unprofessionalism – that’s what happened,” said White to MMAJunkie. “There’s no other way it can be explained.”

“His job is on the line,” the incensed executive continued. “His job is absolutely on the line, win or lose.”

For now it appears “Rumble” will at least be given an opportunity to remain in one of tonight’s two featured bouts, the other of course being featherweight champ Jose Aldo’s title-defense against Chad Mendes. However, he clearly has zero room for error at this point, adding to the already enormous stakes of his battle with Belfort.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

However, Johnson doesn’t need others’ assurance in terms of his ability to come out with his hand raised. After all, he’s got plenty of it coming from himself and his training partners at the Blackzilian camp in Florida.

“I’m gonna break Vitor. I’m gonna break him,” said the 27-year old Johnson in a video from Authentic Sports Management profiling his preparation for Saturday night’s UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes festivities.

“I’m not saying this fight is gonna be easy, but you know what? I bet it won’t be harder than what I go through at training,” Johnson explained while referring to teammates like Melvin Guillard and Rashad Evans.

Johnson also revealed his intent to keep constant pressure on Belfort throughout while throwing strikes.

“Vitor hasn’t seen that in his camp, I guarantee it. He doesn’t have these coaches that I have. He doesn’t have the caliber of training partners that I have. He doesn’t have the talent that I have.”

Belfort-Johnson will take place as part of the UFC 142 main card, an event headlined by Jose Aldo defending his featherweight title against unbeaten Californian Chad Mendes.

Check out the complete video from Johnson below:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to the UFC, Johnson will fight on January 14 in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 142 with legendary Brazilian Vitor Belfort waiting in the Octagon to welcome “Rumble” to the iconic South American city.

Belfort will arguably be the largest opponent Johnson has faced in his career, both in terms of name value and actual size, but is actually shorter than the 27-year old and could be in trouble if caught with one of the West Coaster’s powerful strikes. Johnson holds an overall record of 10-3 and will be looking for a third straight win at UFC 142 after picking up victories over Dan Hardy and Charlie Brenneman in his previous two in-ring appearances.

Likewise, “The Phenom” also had his hand raised in his last outing – an August drumming of Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 – and is as much a threat to knock Johnson out cold as is the case in return (if not more of one). Among the fourteen TKOs in his career Belfort has stopped the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin with strikes.

UFC 142 is headlined by featherweight champion Jose Aldo defending his title against 11-0 contender Chad Mendes. No other bouts have been announced but if UFC 134, also held in Rio, was any indication the card will be peppered with Brazilians in action against American fighters.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

The world’s foremost MMA promotion announced the UFC Live 6 bout over the weekend though little else is known about the event in terms of date/location other than it taking place in October.

Johnson is coming off a solid showing against Dan Hardy at UFN 24 this past March where he outpointed the Brit after more than a year on the sidelines due to weight and injury-related issues. The decision marked the first time “Rumble” had gone the distance in the Octagon with five strike-based victories prior to the performance.

The 14-2 Brenneman has emerged with his hands raised nine out of the last ten times he’s competed including back-to-back wins in his last two fights. In addition to Story he’s also found success in the UFC against Amilcar Alves and Jason High.

Brenneman vs. Johnson is the second match-up the organization has revealed for the event with the other being a long awaited rematch between lightweights Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

News of the replacement was reported through the UFC’s website where it mentioned Marquardt’s original opponent, Anthony Johnson, had been scrapped from their headlining bout at UFC Live 4 due to an undisclosed injury.

Including his outpointing of Alves, Story has won six straight fights and twelve of his last thirteen including victories over Dustin Hazelett, Nick Osipczak, Johny Hendricks, and Jake Ellenberger.

Though the match-up for Marquardt may have changed, it is likely his camp won’t as Johnson and Story are both talented wrestlers with powerful hands. Their June 26 pairing will mark the divisional debut of Marquardt at welterweight after a successful run at 185-pounds. He holds an overall record of 31-10-2 and was last seen beating Dan Miller by Unanimous Decision in March at UFC 128. Other notches on his belt include Martin Kampmann, Kazuo Misaki, and Demian Maia.

News of the bout broke by way of the UFC’s website.

Marquardt has spent the majority of his career at middleweight and he recently picked up a unanimous decision victory over Dan Miller at UFC 128. “The Great” is a former title challenger at middleweight and has been considered one of the top fighters in the division over the recent years. He’s struggled a bit recently though, posting a 2-2 record in his last four fights, but his two losses were against former title contender Chael Sonnen and soon to be title contender Yushin Okami. After defeating Miller in March, Marquardt expressed interest in dropping to 170.

Coming off a layoff that kept him out of action from November 2009 to March 2011, “Rumble” returned at UFC Fight Night 24, out-wrestling British striker Dan Hardy en route to a dominant unanimous decision victory. It was a much needed win for Johnson given his time spent on the sidelines, although many fans were disappointed that they didn’t get slugfest they had hoped for given the match up. Now Johnson hopes to re-build the momentum he had in 2009 by knocking off the always game and well-respected Marquardt.

UFC’s fourth venture to the VS. network is scheduled for June 26 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also scheduled for the event is another welterweight showdown that pits Dutch striker Martin Kampmann against the hard hitting John Howard.

*PHOTO CREDIT – UFC*

Johnson recently kicked things off by labeling Howard as a “pussy” in response to the 28-year old’s decision to pass on a match-up with him in early 2010 while citing an interest in building his name up in the Octagon before taking on higher-ranked opponents.

“Doomsday” addressed the situation in a conversation with MMAWeekly, explaining their “beef” had become real based on Johnson’s insults while pointing out the use of the term “cotton picker” as the final straw.

Howard made sure to point out the hypocrisy of “Rumble” insinuating he was a coward for declining the earlier fight given the Georgia native’s performance last weekend against Dan Hardy at Fight Night 24. Johnson had promised to stand with Hardy the entire time before ultimately taking the intelligent approach and capitalizing on the Brit’s takedown defense through the majority of the bout.

“I’m not saying it wasn’t a smart strategy. Maybe it was, but don’t come up like, ‘Oh, I’m going to stand and bang. I’m a hardcore motherfu*ker,’ and then when push comes to shove, you take down and you go the (easy) way out. At least, when I fought Thiago (Alves), yes, Thiago beat me, but I stood and banged with a motherfu*ker.”

In summation, Howard made it clear he wants to get his hands on Johnson and doesn’t care if the tilt takes place in the UFC, a gym, backyard, or any specific arena – he just wants to fight.

“I can’t stand that cat. I hate that kid. The feeling is mutual,” said Howard. “It’s one of those fights where I don’t care about winning or losing. I just want to smash this dude. I think it’s better to (have it) happen in the UFC before it gets to the streets. That’s how bad it is between me and him. I don’t like this kid.”

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

According to MMAFighting, the 26-year old has accepted a scrap with colorful Brit Dan Hardy for March 2011 at a yet-to-be-announced event with Hardy’s camp agreeing to the match-up as well.

Johnson was considered to be the future of the welterweight division after knocking out five foes in the UFC but has seen his reputation tarnished with the year-long break and related weight-gain after falling to Koscheck at UFC 106, as well as a few stumbles in the cage such as a TKO loss on the heels of an illegal eye-poke to Kevin Burns and a submission defeat to Rich Clementi in a bout he took on late notice. However, he holds wins over Luigi Fioravanti and Yoshiyuki Yoshida and remains a constant threat to any adversary based on his underrated wrestling, athleticism, and powerful striking.

In the form of Hardy, “Rumble” will be taking on an opponent comparable to Koscheck as far as in-ring success as well as an individual hungry for a win after dropping back-to-back fights. The Nottingham native is coming off a knockout loss to Carlos Condit – the first TKO of his career – in addition to being thoroughly out-pointed by GSP at UFC 111 but holds 23-8 overall record with victories over Mike Swick, Marcus Davis, and Akihiro Gono.

While three events are currently linked to March of next year, the specific card targeted for Hardy vs. Davis is Fight Night 24 on March 26. The show is scheduled for Seattle and also has a bout between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira attached to the headlining slot.

It would appear Koscheck has been added to a UFC 106 card that suffered from a lost main event Monday when heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was forced to pull out of his scheduled title defense against Shane Carwin.

Since the announcement Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz II was thought to have been moved to main event, but it now appears a welterweight fight with two of the UFC’s top level fighters appears close to being added.

A recent report on Sherdog.com is indicating that Anthony Johnson could be the possible opponent for Koscheck. The report states that both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight.

Koscheck would be entering the bout on the heels of a very impressive performance at UFC 103 where he stopped Frank Trigg via TKO, while Johnson who is riding a 3 fight win streak, most recently fought this past weekend at UFC 104 where he was victorious in just :41 over Yoshiyuki Yoshida, a bout he failed to make weight for.

In his scheduled welterweight bout with Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Johnson was basically carried to the scale due to the dehydration he suffered while attempting to make the weight, only to weigh in a full six pounds over the contracted weight agreement of 170 pounds.

Anyone familiar with drastic cuts in water weight will tell you that the more drastic the cut, the faster you’re body will pack back on the weight. Johnson likely stepped into the Octagon near 200 pounds against an opponent he outweighed by at least twenty pounds. It was painfully obvious when watching the two engage that the size differential was a massive one.

It resembled what a bout between Anderson Silva and Shinya Aoki would look like.

When asked why Johnson’s knockout over Yoshida was not selected for the $60,000 knockout bonus that ended up going to Pat Barry, UFC President Dana White put it like this, “He should have. He should have won it. But because he didn’t make weight, he wasn’t eligible for it. But he would have won.”

It almost seems as if Yoshida should be honored with the knockout bonus for offering himself as a sacrificial lamb in the David and Goliath match that just had to go on.

Either way, kudos to the Octagon brass for doing the right thing in not rewarding a fighter for not honoring his side of the fight agreement.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the news from multiple sources close to the fight on Monday afternoon.

Johnson, 7-2, apparently suffered a severe knee injury while preparing for his welterweight contest vs. Brown. There’s no word regarding how long he will be sidelined.

Additionally, immediate word was not available regarding whether Brown would remain on the card against a replacement.

Johnson was signed to a UFC contract just three fights into his pro career. Entering the Octagon with a perfect 3-0 record in his UFC debut vs. Chad Reiner at UFC Fight Night 10 in June of 2007, Johnson improved to 4-0 after requiring just 13 seconds into the fight to defeat Reiner.

He would sustain his first career loss in his very next fight at UFC 76 in September of the same year, submitting to Rich Clementi due to a guillotine choke at 3:05 of round 2. Since that time, Johnson has gone 3-1 and has boosted his stock with all three of his wins coming via KO or TKO.

Brown, 9-7, is an alumnus of the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. A talented and tough fighter, Brown entered the competition with a less than stellar record, based somewhat on the fact that he was held back by personal issues during the early stages of his career.

Since becoming a permanent member of the UFC roster, Brown has compiled a 3-1 record with wins over Matt Arroyo, Ryan Thomas, and Pete Sell. His only defeat was a split decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88 this past September.

The TUF 9 finale will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Pearl at the Palms and will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida. In addition to the lightweight and welterweight finals of TUF 9, a lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Joe Stevenson is also scheduled.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com learned of the potential matchup early Tuesday and received word later in the evening from multiple sources close to the fight that both Johnson and Brown had verbally consented to the fight. Bout agreements could be formally signed within the coming days. MMAWeekly.com has also reported the Johnson vs. Brown matchup.

Brown, a former regional journeyman who earned his way into the UFC after a strong showing during the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, just recently improved his overall record in the UFC to 3-1 earlier this month at UFC 96.

Facing TUF 4 veteran Pete Sell, Brown was dominant in needing just one minute and 32 seconds to dispose of the native New York via TKO due to punches. According to many pundits, Brown’s reign of dominance over Sell should have been called to a stop much earlier in the fight.

Prior to Brown’s win over Sell, the Bowersville, Ohio native had submitted Ryan Thomas with an armbar at 0:57 of round 2 during a non-televised undercard bout at UFC 91 this past November.

Brown’s struggle to become a UFC contracted fighter was recently chronicled in a full-length feature on CBSSports.com.

For Brown’s opponent, Johnson, his rise through the UFC ranks has been relatively smooth. The Colorado native made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 10 in just his fourth pro fight. Johnson needed all of 10 seconds to knockout Chad Reiner.

Johnson then suffered a minor setback at UFC 76 against Rich Clementi when he was submitted in the second round by a rear naked choke. However, he bounced back at UFC Fight Night 13 last April with a stunning knockout over TUF 6 welterweight runner-up Tommy Speer in just 51 seconds.

Johnson most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 17, where he won his second consecutive bout following a TKO over former U.S. Marine Luigi Fioravanti at 4:39 of round 1.

The TUF 9 finale will be the culmination of the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter with which will pit eight fighters from the U.S. coached by Dan Henderson against eight fighters from the U.K. being led by Michael Bisping. Bisping and Henderson are scheduled to fight at UFC 100 on July 11.

In addition to the welterweight and lightweight finals being televised during the Spike TV broadcast, the event will be headlined by a lightweight matchup featuring former TUF winners Nate Diaz and Joe Stevenson going head-to-head. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was also the first to report an undercard matchup between welterweights Brad Blackburn and Edgar Garcia.

Sources close to Johnson revealed to FiveOuncesOfPain.com on Friday that while the match was proposed and Johnson had agreed to it, Howard never submitted a signed bout agreement.

Johnson could still compete at the TUF 9 finale against a new opponent. Several possibilities have been discussed but a rumored bout between Johnson and fellow welterweight prospect Dustin Hazelett is not expected to take place.

The TUF 9 finale is set to emanate from the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a battle of former Ultimate Fighter winners Nate Diaz and Joe Stevenson. The card will also feature the lightweight and welterweight finals from TUF 9 as well as a welterweight matchup between Brad Blackburn and Edgar Garcia.

According to MMAjunkie.com, the TUF 9 finale is set to be headlined by a welterweight matchup featuring Anthony Johnson (7-2) taking on John Howard (11-4). FiveOuncesOfPain.com confirmed the matchup with sources close to the fight who indicated while the matchup has not been signed, it has been agreed to.

Johnson is a rising star in the UFC welterweight division with a 4-2 overall record inside of the Octagon and wins in his last two fights. The Colorado native most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 17 last month, where he recorded a first round TKO over Luigi Fioravanti.

A one-time veteran of the IFL who has made a name for himself figting in the Northeastern corridor of the U.S., Howard was successful in his UFC debut at UFC 94 in January. Facing striking specialist Chris Wilson, Howard scored an upset split decision victory.

The ninth installment of TUF will feature eight fighters from the U.S. led by head coach Dan Henderson taking on eight fighters from the U.K. led by head coach Michael Bisping. The welterweight and lightweight divisions will be featured with the show set to premiere on Wednesday, April 1 on Spike TV.