Anthony Johnson, left, and Charlie Brenneman.
PA’s Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman (14-2) takes on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (9-3) this Saturday at UFC live on Versus 6 in a main card fight.
Charlie Brenneman:
Riding a two-fight win streak, Brenneman, who hails from Hollidaysburg, Pa., will look to make it three in a row, and if he does, will undoubtedly see his stock rise considerably in the welterweight division. Brenneman put the division on notice when he took a fight against Rick Story at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry on a week’s notice and won by unanimous decision. We all know the mental game is a big part of the sport, and that’s a great high to be riding on, as Brenneman was seen as a Cinderella Man of the UFC after the Story win.
Although he has only won two fights by submission, Brenneman’s ground game is solid. He train at AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, one of the best academies on the east coast. Two of Brenneman’s training partners, brothers Jim and Dan Miller are both BJJ black belts, as is head instructor Jamie Cruz.
Brenneman’s most dangerous weapon is the hard work he puts in, both in training and fighting. Brenneman is first and foremost a student — he earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree, then taught for a while, and you can see that he apporaches MMA as a student as well, constantly soaking knowledge up like a sponge. Inisde the cage, Brenneman literally outworks opponents. This fight will be no different, as he said to me he planned to “keep moving, not standing straight in front of him. I’m going to do what I’ve been doing, it’s just I’m going to do it better.” Brenneman told me that for this fight, he added a Muay Thai coach to his list of coaches.
Anthony Johnson
Johnson, who saw great success as a high school and collegiate wrestler, complements those skills with dangerous striking. Johnson hits fast, he hits hard, and he hits repeatedly. His hoosk are exceptionally dangerous and deceptive — it’s just a little hook, thrown at close range, but lands right on the button, and with devastating results. He’s also seen success with kicks, whether they be low or high.
Johnson is probably the biggest welterweight in the division. A recent photo of Brenneman and Johnson standing together looked there were about two weight classes between them. Johnson reportedly walks around at a whopping 50+ pounds over the welterweight limit of 171. I will say this — at his height, 6’2″ and with his broad shoulders — he certainly can carry more weight that the average welterweight. But making that weight cut time and time again can only tax the body and possibly affect cardio.
Although he has gone the distance before — his most recent win was a decision over Dan Hardy at UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Davis — but I’m not sure anyone has taken into deep waters at a frenetic pace. Brenneman will do that. If an opponent can get past his tremendous takedown defense, Johnson seems vulnerbale on the ground, as his two of his three losses have come by way of rear-naked choke.
The bottom line:
Johnson is a fighter who is blessed with one-punch KO power. Johnson’s opponents have made the mistake of standing directly in front of Johnson and brawling with him. If they do that, they most often lose. If they can get him to the ground, more than likely, they can submit him, but there is a low percentage of sucess because Johnson is able to keep the fight standing. Brenneman is the more well-rounded fighter here. As he said to me, he’s going to push the pace, and not stand directly in front of Johnson. If Brenneman can stick to that gameplan and tire Johnson out, he will win.
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