UFC on Versus 4 – Anthony “Rumble” Johnson admits fight with Nate Marquardt is the toughest of his career

UFC welterweight monster, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has described his upcoming fight with Nate Marquardt on the UFC on Versus 4 card as the toughest test of his fighting career to date, adding he’s going to have to be sharper than ever before if he’s to have his hand raised on the night.
Speaking via MMAJunkie.com, Johnson said:

“It’s an honor to be able to headline a fight. All these fighters are talking about fighting for the title, which is natural. You want to go to the top and be the best. But life is moving pretty fast for me right now. I fought Josh Koscheck in a co-main event. Then I fought Hardy in a co-main event. Now I’m fighting in the main event. I’m like, ‘Man, I could get used to this.’ I love it. I think all the hard work is paying off.”

“Everybody that I’ve beaten has had more fights than me. You can’t say I’m a seasoned vet because of my 12 fights. This guy has had more than 40 fights. But he’s human. When he gets cut, he bleeds the same color blood I do: red. He’s a great fighter. He’s a respectable man. I have nothing bad to say about him. I love Nate, just like I loved Hardy. I still love Hardy. These guys are athletes, and they’re fighters. We go out there and put it on the line, one way or the other. Some people might not like how we put it on the line, but we put it on the line.

“With Nate, I’ve got to come out sharper than I’ve ever been before. Nate’s good on the ground. He’s good in the standup. He’s good in wrestling. It don’t matter. This is a guy that’s going to be my biggest test right now. It doesn’t make me nervous. I just get excited. I love challenges in life, and this is a challenge.”

Johnson also spoke about the possibility of fighting for the title down the line, saying he’s not getting ahead of himself but he knows he’d give the champion a run for his money.

“Do I feel like right now I can beat GSP? I’m an athlete. I’m a fighter. Of course I’m confident in myself. I think I can beat him. But I’m not going to huff and puff about it. Yeah, he’s beaten pretty much everybody in the weightclass, the best of the best, but he hasn’t beat me. I know I can give him a run for his money. I know it would be a tough fight, but I think it would be a great fight.”

Marquardt won’t have much if any size advantage over Johnson who has cut down from around 230 pounds in the past to make the 170 pound limit. He was last in action just last month when he defeated UK stand-out, Dan Hardy via unanimous decision following a long layoff due to injury. Stay tuned to MMABay for more build-up to this one as we get it.