Anthony Johnson is aware of the perception that he’s only dangerous in the first round of a fight. However, he doesn’t see it as a negative thing, nor is he bothered by it.

Over a nearly 10-year UFC career Johnson (22-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) has established himself as one of the most dangerous knockout artists to ever grace the octagon. Several of his wins have occurred inside the first round, but all but one of his career losses came outside of it.

One of those losses came to UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who Johnson rematches in the upcoming UFC 210 headliner. Cormier (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has repeatedly harped on Johnson for an inability to win outside the opening 5 to 7 minutes, but the challenger said he’s not rattled.

“(The) majority of the community believes I’m just a first-round fighter because most of my fights end in the first round,” Johnson said on today’s UFC 210 conference call. “They’re entitled to their own opinion, and that’s fine with me. I have nothing to prove to anybody except myself, so if (Cormier) wants to believe that and everyone else wants to believe that, that’s completely fine with me.”

UFC 210 takes place April 8 at KenBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The Johnson vs. Cormier title fight rematch headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

After surviving an early knockdown, Cormier took “Rumble” into deep water in their first clash at UFC 187 in May 2015 and earned a third-round submission victory to capture the then-vacant belt. Johnson believes he’s evolved in the more than two years since, but of course the knockout still remains his most dangerous weapon.

Johnson, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings, has 11 knockout victories in UFC competition. That’s tied with Anderson Silva for second most in history only behind Vitor Belfort’s 12, and he will certainly be looking to tie the record in what would be a championship-winning performance. Thought Johnson failed to beat No. 2-ranked Cormier in his first attempt, he said that doesn’t deter his confidence for the rematch.

“I’ve just got to go out there and be myself and do what I do,” Johnson said. “If I hit him one time, and he drops, then I’ll go after him again. If I hit him again, he’s definitely in trouble from the second punch, or punch or kick or whatever it is. Daniel, he has a great chin, he’s a great athlete, so he won’t be easy by any means necessary.”

Johnson’s pursuit of UFC greatness has been long and at times strenuous. He started his octagon tenure in 2007 as a welterweight but would eventually be forced up a division after missing weight several times. He still couldn’t get himself under control, though, and would eventually be cut from the roster after coming in overweight at 185 pounds.

Johnson switched to the light heavyweight division and from there Johnson’s career took a sharp upward turn. He’s beaten 205-pound standouts such as Glover Teixeira, Ryan Bader, Jimi Manuwa, Alexander Gustafsson, and Phil Davis, but thus far Cormier has eluded him.

Johnson said winning UFC gold would, in many ways, complete his career, and that’s one of his biggest motivators ahead of UFC 210.

“Getting the belt will put me up there with the best of the best,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to be a could-have-been or one of those guys they talk about on the boards or whatever saying, ‘This guy could have been this or could have been that’ or ‘should have been’ and all of this and all of that. I want to be that guy where they say: He did it.”

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