Anthony Johnson gets wish, meets Ryan Bader in UFC on FOX 18 headliner on Jan. 30

Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson campaigned hard for a matchup with fellow UFC light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader. His desire has come to fruition in the form of a five-round main event at UFC on FOX 18.

The matchup between Johnson (20-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Bader (20-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) was announced on tonight’s edition of FOX Sports 1’s “UFC Tonight.” A slew of other bouts were announced as well, including a welterweight contest between Tarec Saffiedine(15-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Jake Ellenberger (30-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC).

UFC on FOX 18 takes place Jan. 30 at Newark’s Prudential Center. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Johnson, No. 3 in the latest NOS Energy Drink MMA light heavyweight rankings, last competed at UFC 191 in September where he scored a second-round knockout of Jimi Manuwa. The victory put Johnson back on track after he fell short in a vacant 205-pound title bout against Daniel Cormier at UFC 187 in May.

The defeat to Cormier is the lone blemish on Johnson’s record since he returned to the UFC in April 2014, and “Rumble” is eager to reestablish his place as No. 1 contender and compete in another title bout.

No. 4-ranked Bader will attempt to finally lock up a title fight opportunity when he searches for his sixth consecutive win. “The Ultimate Fighter 8” winner has won his past five contests, the most recent being a unanimous decision win over former UFC champ Rashad Evans at UFC 192 in October.

Bader had hoped for a title fight following the win over Evans, but the reinstatement of Jon Jones disturbed his plans and forced him to accept another fight.

With the addition of several bouts, the UFC on FOX 18 card now includes:

• Anthony Johnson vs. Ryan Bader
• Jake Ellenberger vs. Tarec Saffiedine
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Joaquim Silva
• George Sullivan vs. Alexander Yakovlev
• Tony Martin vs. Felipe Oliveiri

For more on UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.