No longer 'Rumble,' Anthony Johnson posts farewell retirement message following UFC 210

UFC light-heavyweight contender “Rumble” is looking forward to being just regular ol’ Anthony Johnson.

Following Saturday’s UFC 210 title loss to light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), Johnson (22-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) dropped a bit of a bombshell and announced his retirement.

Today, the 33-year-old reiterated that it wasn’t a rash decision and that he’s officially called it quits. He posted “my body can recover and I can focus on something” other than MMA, and he thanked fans for their support (via Instagram):

Hello Monday! A new beginning starts today and I am so happy about that… My body can recover and I can focus on something different other than mma. MY life has been amazing and I haven't come close to scratching the surface. I'll miss mma and every aspect of the game, but my time is over and I'm ready to watch tbd new generation take over. Now I can be Anthony Johnson/AJ and not Anthony Rumble Johnson! Thank you all for the love and support throughout the yrs… Rumble Squad forever! #RumbleSquad The End of Rumble

A post shared by Anthony Johnson (@anthony_rumble) on Apr 10, 2017 at 4:58am PDT

Johnson, who’s No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, suffered a second-round submission loss to No. 2-ranked Cormier in Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. It was his second title loss to Cormier, who also beat “Rumble” in 2015, and it ended Johnson’s three-fight winning streak – one that included three knockouts and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses.

Following the event, Johnson discussed his strategy, which struck many – including his own cornermen – as odd considering the challenger’s willingness to play to the champ’s wrestling strengths.

“The game plan was to win, to keep my composure, control the pace and things like that,” Johnson said. “Just in the middle of the fight, I just kind of fell off track and started playing his game, which was wrestling and things like that. I felt fine. I felt great. It wasn’t like I was tired. He beat me. I don’t take anything away from him.”

Although his retirement seems set, Johnson did leave open the door for a potential future fight with ex-champ and No. 1-ranked Jon Jones (22-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC). Their paths never crossed in the UFC.

“Day in and day out, people are always talking about Jon Jones and myself fighting each other, and it just never happened,” he said. “Maybe if I decide to come back one day, we can fight at heavyweight or something like that.”

For complete coverage of UFC 210, check out the UFC Events section of the site.