Anthony Johnson believes new Bellator 258 opponent Jose Augusto is “more dangerous” than Yoel Romero

Anthony Johnson was supposed to fight Yoel Romero in the quarterfinals of the light heavyweight grand prix on Friday but that is no longer the case.

Last week, it was revealed Romero failed his pre-fight medical and was out of the fight against Johnson. The hope was to get a replacement opponent and that ended up being the case as Johnson will face Jose Augusto in the co-main event.

Although Augusto isn’t well known to many MMA fans, Anthony Johnson believes he’s more dangerous than Romero.

Images via Anthony Johnson and Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros on Instagram

“Yeah man, it is what it is,” Johnson said to South China Morning Post (via MMANews). “And I wish I could fight him this weekend, but I got another opponent in Jose, who is on a five-fight win streak. To me, he’s more dangerous than Yoel. This man has everything to gain and nothing to lose. And there were other fighters that wanted to fight me and step in, but their time will come. If they want some sauce, they’ll get it.”

According to Anthony Johnson, he says the goal was to fight on May 7 as after not competing since UFC 210 in 2017, he was focused on competing. He also know this will be a very tough comeback fight for him.

“They had an opponent in mind, but it just wasn’t worth my time and effort. Or they said I could fight Yoel in July, but I’m like, I’m not waiting till July and I put in all this work to fight Yoel,” Johnson said. “So big props to Jose, man, for stepping up. I have so much respect for that man just for doing that. Because that’s not just dangerous for me, it’s dangerous for him. But it’s such a big opportunity for him.”

If Anthony Johnson wins, he will be fighting Vadim Nemkov for the belt in the semis of the grand prix next time out.

Do you think Anthony Johnson beats Jose Augusto?