Timothy Johnson Reflects on 'Super Disappointing' Debut Ahead of Second Bellator Fight

Timothy Johnson left the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018 and had his Bellator MMA debut later that year when he fought Cheick Kongo. It was a high-profile fight for Johnson to make his debut against, yet he was knocked out in just 68 seconds. Needless to say, this was a major disappointment for the 34-year-old.

"Super disappointing. That was not the way I wanted to start my Bellator debut," he said to Sherdog.com. "I asked for a high-level fight and got it and then threw it away."

At first, Johnson was not happy with the stoppage. "I was aware and asked the ref why did he stop it," explained Johnson. "I think it could have been let go a little longer, especially cause the punches didn't hit me and it was hitting the mat or my shoulder. [After] watching the replay, I get why he did [call off the bout] because I fell so awkward. I can't get too mad about it, it is what it is."

In the end, Johnson gets a chance to right that wrong on Saturday at Bellator 225 against Azunna Anyanwu. Although he is a short-notice replacement, the mixed martial artist doesn't care as he just wants to fight.

"There are a lot of guys that were booked due to the tournament and there was log-jam I think. I was ready to fight for a while but just never got offered a fight, I don't know why," Johnson said. "Not much changes [facing a new opponent]. I just concentrate on myself. We just work on my game and improving. Just keeping working on the little things."