(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) Anthony Johnson says his life outside of fighting in Boca Raton, Fla., is one drab stopover after another between training sessions, despite his surroundings. And that’s the way it should be. “I’m really giving this thing a run,” the UFC light heavyweight told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie. “I’m actually taking a chance now at doing the best that I can in this sport and being the best that I can.” If you asked him the same question two years ago, when weight was the biggest agenda item of his fight preparation, you would have gotten a much different answer. Even his knockouts from those days — and there were many — don’t count, says Johnson (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who meets former Pride star Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-5, 4-2) on Saturday in “UFC on Fox 12″ in San Jose (Fox, 6 p.m. ET).
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Anthony Johnson on first UFC stint: ‘I was a different dude back then’ – MMA Junkie