Daniel Cormier Won’t Let Anthony Johnson ‘Bully’ Him In UFC 187 Matchup

LAS VEGAS — No matter what Daniel Cormier says about him, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson insists he’s no bully.

When he gets hit, Johnson hits back. That’s his mentality.

But Cormier, who fights Johnson for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title Saturday night at UFC 187, said his opponent likes to push people around in the Octagon. But it won’t happen with him.

“When I watch Rumble Johnson, he’s a bully,” Cormier said Tuesday after an open workout on the MGM Grand casino floor. “He bullies guys. He makes them go backward, and he traps them. I’m not going to allow that. If he tries to bully me, I’ll stand right in front of him, and if he hits me, I’ll hit him right back. And then we’ll see how the bully handles it when nobody is going to run away from him.”

That might be the kind of fight Johnson wants. His 19-4 record includes 13 knockouts, and his most recent win was a crushing first-round KO of Alexander Gustafsson last January.

But Johnson disputes the bully claim.