No one in the eight-man field for the Bellator MMA light heavyweight grand prix inspires awe and intrigue quite like Anthony Johnson.
Once an Ultimate Fighting Championship mainstay, Johnson will return from a four-year absence to make his organizational debut against Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros in the Bellator 258 co-main event on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The winner will advance to the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix semifinals, where reigning 205-pound champion Vadim Nemkov awaits. Johnson, 37, walked away from the sport in 2017 despite having won 12 of his past 14 bouts.