Chad Johnson really wants to compete in the octagon.
A former All-Pro NFL receiver, “Ochocinco” was one of the biggest personalities in professional football throughout his 11-year NFL career. Since his exit from the NFL, Johnson has tried his hand at several different things, including soccer and boxing. And now, Ochocino is campaigning for a spot in the UFC.
Johnson is in attendance for UFC 327, promoting his upcoming show with UFC Fight Pass, and at the weigh-in show on Friday morning, he made his case for a fight in the UFC against a former champion, no less.
“DC, one fight, what you got?” Johnson asked Daniel Cormier
“Adesanya! Let’s go you and Izzy!” Cormier responded.
“I like that! … Izzy, Adesanya, I don’t want any excuses,” Johnson said. “Come get this belt. Come get this belt. Me and you, five minutes, three rounds. Anywhere. Matter of fact, I’ll come to New Zealand. I don’t have a passport. Nevermind. Come to Miami.”
Adesanya is currently on a four-fight losing streak and has not won a bout since 2023, but following his loss to Joe Pyfer last month, “The Last Stylebender” insisted that he was not retiring yet. Even still, Adesanya would be an astronomical favorite over the 48-year-old football player, but Johnson insists he can do better than people would expect.
“I would really like the matchup with Adesanya, though,” Johnson said. “I’m serious. To be able to get the best out of me and what I can do, even though it’s not my sport. But I’m good enough to survive and be able to strike. Ground game, eh, shaky.”
An avid combat sports fan, Johnson has trained in boxing for years, even taking an exhibition bout against Brian Maxwell on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul card in 2021. Johnson also teased an MMA fight against fellow NFL star James Harrison last year, though nothing came of that. And while he knows that any fight against a real MMA fighter doesn’t result in a win for him, Johnson still really wants to give it a shot.
“Honestly, I probably couldn’t beat any of these individuals that do it for a living, but I’m crazy,‘ Johnson said. ”I’ll get in there. I don’t care. I’ll get in there. Let’s go!”
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