Bantamweights
Jose Johnson (15-8, 0-1 UFC) vs. Chad Anheliger (12-6, 1-1 UFC)If nothing else, Johnson figured to be a fun addition to the UFC when he finally made his promotional debut in August. A long and reedy bantamweight at 6-foot, Johnson might be a bit of a technical mess but at least shows a commitment to causing some chaos. That put him on the losing end of a control-heavy performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, but Johnson marched his way back up the regional scene and earned a contract in August 2022. That win over Jack Cartwright proved Johnson could land a lot of offense even against an opponent looking to hold him down, but his UFC debut was a reminder of the defensive holes in his game, as Da’Mon Blackshear quickly found a rare twister submission to tap Johnson out within a round. It will be interesting to see how Johnson fares in his sophomore effort against Anheliger, given that this is a clear contrast of styles that is a bit hard to parse. Another DWCS alum, Anheliger is in a much different mold from the fighters who typically take that path to the UFC. The Canadian is not a young and high-upside athlete but instead came to the promotion as a fully-formed veteran who relies on his toughness to gut out a win. It is still a bit hard to imagine what a typical Anheliger fight looks like, if only because a lot of his high-profile bouts have seen him cede ground to his opponent only to outlast them over time, showing off a particular knack for tiring out wrestlers who struggle to control him over the course of three rounds. Anheliger’s last fight, a 2022 decision loss to Heili Alateng that marked his first defeat in nearly a decade, did show that an opponent looking to stay at range can tag him fairly hard, which certainly seems like a path to victory for Johnson given his considerable size advantage here. However, it is also a clear possibility that Johnson's aggression walks him right into the type of wrestling-heavy fight where Anheliger is most comfortable. Johnson can at least keep up his pace for three rounds provided he does not get finished, and Anheliger only seems to finish opponents that he has fully exhausted, so the American seems like the safer bet. With that said, this does figure to be a fight where the winner does not walk away entirely unscathed either way. The pick is Johnson via decision.
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