Russia’s largest mixed martial arts organization, Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), is scheduled for a major event this weekend, October 23, 2025, with two huge heavyweights set to steal the show at ACA 194. Heavy-handed American knockout artist Tony Johnson Jr. will be in the spotlight on foreign soil as he fights the very dangerous finisher, Amir Aliakbari. A win against Aliakbari would make Johnson 3-1 in his last four fights, putting him back in the thick of the heavyweight championship.
Tony Johnson Jr.: Enters the world of MMA
Tony Johnson Jr. made the transition to MMA after a successful wrestling career. “Having been wrestling all my life, it made my transition to MMA easy,” Tony Johnson Jr. said. to MMSucka. Johnson’s superior knowledge of the mats came under the tutelage of National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach Bob Latessa. “I would have to give credit to my wrestling coach Bob Latessa. I was always talented, but he made sure I put the work in because we should all know, ‘Work beats talent’ when talent doesn’t work hard enough,” Johnson said.
Tony Johnson Jr.: Finally stepping into the cage
The big professional debut for Tony Johnson Jr. in an MMA cage was scheduled to take place on the Florida regional stage in November 2008. After a few more regional scene fights, Johnson sat at 3-0 with a title shot scheduled for King of the Cage heavyweight title against reigning champion Tony Lopez. Lopez was 18-2 at the time of the matchup and would amass a 65-33 record as of August 2025. After winning the championship via unanimous decision. Johnson would drop the championship in his fifth fight as a professional against one of the greatest fighters of all time: Daniel Cormier.
Tony Johnson Jr. progresses to the bigger competitions
After a solid rebound win at KOTC: Infusion in November 2010, Johnson would find himself stepping onto bigger MMA stages with his first appearance under the Bellator banner in June 2011 at the Bellator 46 prelims. Johnson’s Bellator debut would pit him against the very best of the future to one day compete as heavyweights and he would battle ‘The Black Beast’ Derrick Lewis. Tony Johnson Jr. would push the pace, take Lewis to the time limit and earn the unanimous decision over the former UFC title challenger.
Taking on his third heavyweight legend in four fights, Johnson then met former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia at One FC 9 in May 2013. After a first round that started with heavy striking from both sides, Johnson was able to subdue Sylvia with his superior wrestling game. In the second round, Johnson was in control of top position and dominated the former UFC champion on the mat. In the third frame of action, an elbow would eventually lead to a doctor’s stoppage, giving Johnson the hard-fought victory.
Tony Johnson Jr.: a new king in Russia
Over the next six years, Tony Johnson Jr. appearing for a handful of organizations, including a successful run in Bellator and a first-round bare-knuckle victory in the Bare Knuckle Boxing organization. Including his bare-knuckle performance, Johnson would go 6-3-1 ahead of the most successful run of his MMA career, his current tenure with the ACA organization. This run also included wins over Alexander Volkov, DJ Linderman and a draw with Aleksander Emelianenko, which took place in Moscow, Russia.
The highlights of Johnson’s career have come since 2019 when he joined ACA. Johnson made an immediate name for himself and would secure a second round submission at ACA 92: Poland in February 2019. After two tough matches against current champion and all-time Russian great Evgeny Goncharov, Johnson would take a year off and return to ACA 114 in November 2020 to defeat Daniel Omielanczuk via first-round knockout to capture the ACA Heavyweight Championship.
Dominant title year
November 2020 to November 2021 would be Johnson’s most dominant year. After clinching the championship in November 2020, he would defend it twice, with both fights ending with TKO stoppages. He would defeat Dmitry Poberezhets and Mukhamad Vakhaev, who had a combined record of 36-9-2 at the time of their respective fights. When he returned to action in March 2022, Johnson faced a ‘killer’s row’ of Russian heavyweights 2-4. For Johnson as an American in ACA, every fight must seem like an ‘away match’.
“As a foreigner it would certainly be difficult to be successful. When you fight abroad you have to understand what it’s like to kill or be killed. When I fought in Russia for the first time when I walked out I could hear crickets, but now I have shed a lot of blood, seeing the great knockouts from the crowd. If I win, lose or draw, there is always blood with me. I have a huge Russian fan base now,” said Johnson.
Johnson has a chance to return to his glorious ACA days with a big win against Aliakbari, the No. 9 ranked heavyweight ACA Rankingswhere Johnson currently sits at number 5. So what can we expect when the “Hulk” re-enters the ACA cage? “Audiences can expect a violent ending!”
#Tony #Johnson #predicts #brutal #battle #October