We'll forgive you if you haven't heard of Tony Johnson yet, but give it some time, you will. The undefeated American Top Team product is a rarity among heavyweight fighters. At 6'1", he checks in at a mammoth 285 pounds and has weighed as much as 365, but is so athletic that he once ran a 4.5 second 40-yard dash; a feat which prompted overtures from USC and eventually the NFL to play football.

His quick hands and feet belie a man of his immense stature and often surprise his UFC teammates. He's said to be able to take any of them down at will -- that thanks to the strong wrestling pedigree which eventually netted him an Olympic training invite and multiple championships.

FiveKnuckles.com recently checked in with the 23-year old blue chip MMA prospect to get his thoughts on a variety of topics including; training at the prestigious American Top Team, his NFL prospects, his friendship with Bob Sapp, and much more.

FiveKnuckles.com: Tell us a bit about your background, Tony, and how you became involved in fighting and MMA.

Tony Johnson: I have a wrestling background and I was always interested in the UFC. I just started training and having fun with it and then one day I just decided that I wanted to fight. I knew I needed to work on my striking and jiu-jitsu. I'd heard wrestlers tend to do a little bit better because we already have a sense of the ground and especially wrestlers that have wrestled at a high level like I have.

FiveKnuckles.com: Talk about your wrestling credentials.

Tony Johnson: I've wrestled since I was six years old all the way up to now. I've got six national titles, got a world title. I was on the "Dream Team". I've been on the Ford National Team. I was a state champion. I've been all over the world wrestling. Wrestled at Iowa State. I've been asked to train for the Olympics, but I'm moving forward with MMA.

FiveKnuckles.com: There are tons of notable NCAA Division I wrestlers that have made there mark in the sport. Tell us about your collegiate wrestling experience.

Tony Johnson: Well, I didn't have the career that I could have had at Iowa State. I messed up in school, but I think I could have been at least a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion, it's tough to know for sure, but knowing the guys that won, I'd pinned those guys and beaten those guys in the past. The reason I went to Iowa State is because they offered me a full ride football and wrestling scholarship, because I wanted to play both. I had wrestling scholarships to go pretty much wherever I wanted to, but I wanted to play football too so Iowa State allowed me to do that. But then my wife got pregnant and we had a son so I had to leave school and work. I did that for three years before I met an MMA instructor through my boss at the time and I started training and just fell in love with it.

FiveKnuckles.com: Really? So you played collage football too? You must be quite the athlete.

Tony Johnson: I was offered a football scholarship to USC and a bunch of other schools to play fullback. I was a running back in high school. I was 240 pounds and I ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. I was trying to get into the NFL after leaving...