Diego Ferreira returns vs. Michael Johnson at UFC event on May 20

Lightweight veterans Diego Ferreira and Michael Johnson will meet in May.

Lightweight veterans [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] will meet in May.

Ferreira (17-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) takes on Johnson (21-18 MMA, 13-14 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on May 20. A venue and location have yet to be announced.

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Mania. The people requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Ferreira hasn’t competed since December 2021. The 38-year-old Fortis MMA fighter will look to snap a three-fight losing skid after setbacks to Beneil Dariush, Gregor Gillespie, and Mateusz Gamrot. Prior to that, Ferreira was on a six-fight winning streak – including a submission of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

After dropping four straight, Johnson has won two of his past three. The “Ultimate Fighter 12” finalist is coming off a unanimous decision win over Marc Diakiese this past December at UFC on ESPN 42.

The current lineup for the UFC’s May 20 event includes:

  • Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
  • Anthony Hernandez vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
  • Diego Ferreira vs. Michael Johnson

[lawrence-related id=2601639,2602390,481493]

Michael Johnson calls out Tony Ferguson for rematch: ‘A chance to redeem yourself’

Michael Johnson wants to give Tony Ferguson an opportunity to avenge the first loss of his UFC career.

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] wants to give [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] an opportunity to avenge the first loss of his UFC career.

Nearly 11 years ago at UFC on FOX 3 in May 2022, Johnson (21-18 MMA, 13-14 UFC) earned a unanimous decision victory over Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in a lightweight bout. Ferguson suffered a broken arm during the contest, but toughed it out until the end, despite not getting his hand raised.

From there, the pair splintered off in different career directions. Ferguson reeled off a 12-fight winning streak that saw him claim interim UFC gold, while Johnson had an up-and-down tenure that saw him score some high profile wins, but lose many notable fights, too.

Both men are now in the twilight of their respective careers, and Johnson thinks it’s time to run it back (via Twitter):

Yo @TonyFergusonXT not sure if you’re still in the big game, but if so and you want to come back to 55 I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. 😎 or we can do it 170 also!! Let’s give the fans what they want!!!

Johnson, 36, is 2-1 in his past three fights and coming off a unanimous decision win over Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN 42. Ferguson, 38, meanwhile, is in a serious rough patch, having lost his past five contests, albeit to elite competition in Nate Diaz, Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

“The Menace” is calling his shot for a rematch with “El Cucuy,” but it remains to be seen if the UFC brass and matchmakers agree.

[vertical-gallery id=515419]

Michael Johnson confused by Marc Diakiese’s reaction to decision loss: ‘You didn’t get robbed, trust me’

Michael Johnson was surprised to see Marc Diakiese surprised at his split decision loss at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Fla.

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] was taken off guard by Marc Diakiese’s post-fight reaction.

Saturday, Johnson (22-18 MMA, 13-14 UFC) defeated Diakiese (16-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in a unanimous decision on the preliminary card of UFC on ESPN 42. The longtime fighter thought he won comfortably and was confused to see Diakiese react surprised to the judges’ call.

“I looked at him, and listen, bro: Don’t (get offended). I’ve been getting robbed my whole career. You didn’t get robbed – trust me,” Johnson told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 42 post-fight press conference (via Bro Bible).

“I don’t know why he thought he did a lot. I don’t really think he hit me with much. He hit me in the back of the head a few times when I was ducking down. His kicks were getting blocked. He’s missing a lot. He’s a very spazzy guy and very explosive, so I had to be careful tonight.”

[lawrence-related id=2602334,2602136]

Diakiese had plenty to say in the build -up to the fight, which somewhat bothered Johsnon. But at the end of the day, Johnson doesn’t take any of the talk personal.

“Whatever you need to do to talk yourself into fighting, that’s all good for me,” Johnson said. “He asked for this fight and I obliged. He got what he asked for. He’s a very tough opponent, but there are levels, and I think it showed tonight. He still has a lot to grow. He’ll learn a lot from this.”

The decision put Johnson back on the win column after a controversial split decision loss to Jamie Mullarkey in July.

[vertical-gallery id=2601639]

UFC on ESPN 42 post-event facts: Rafael dos Anjos first to reach 8-hour fight time milestone

Rafael dos Anjos became the first fighter in history to log eight hours of octagon fight time in his win at UFC on ESPN 42.

The UFC returned to Orlando, Fla., for the first time in nearly four years Saturday with UFC on ESPN 42, which took place at Amway Center and saw nine out of 14 fights end in a stoppage.

Stephen Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) earned the most memorable result of all in the main event. The longtime welterweight contender went to war with Kevin Holland (23-9 MMA, 9-6 UFC). He emerged on top by fourth-round TKO due to corner stoppage and netted another Fight of the Night award in the process.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC on ESPN 42 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: A record for non-PPV card

UFC on ESPN 42 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

ORLANDO – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $297,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 42 took place at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 42 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Bryan Barberena[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Matheus Nicolau[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Matt Schnell[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Eryk Anders[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Phil Rowe[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Angela Hill[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Emily Ducote[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Scott Holtzman[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Darren Elkins[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Natan Levy[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Genaro Valdez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Francis Marshall[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcelo Rojo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yazmin Jauregui[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Istela Nunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-42 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,932,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $14,109,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 42.

Michael Johnson def. Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN 42: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Michael Johnson’s unanimous decision win over Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN 42.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 42 at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. (Photos by Nathan Ray Seebeck, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC on ESPN 42 pre-event facts: Darren Elkins reaches historic milestone

The best facts and figures for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 42, where several familiar veterans have a shot at history.

The UFC returns to Florida on Saturday for UFC on ESPN 42, which takes place at Amway Center in Orlando with a card that airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

A welterweight headliner will close out the card as longtime contender [autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) will search for his first win in two years when he takes on [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC on ESPN 42.

UFC adds Marc Diakiese vs. Michael Johnson to Dec. 3 lineup

Lightweights Marc Diakiese and Michael Johnson will throw down in December.

Lightweights [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] will throw down in December.

Diakiese meets Johnson at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 3, which doesn’t yet have a publicly known venue or location. Both fighters confirmed the matchup on social media after an initial report from Al Zullino on Tuesday.

Diakiese (16-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has split his past four appearances. After dropping two consecutive fights to Rafael Fiziev and Rafael Alves, Diakiese showed off new wrinkles when he used a heavy grappling approach to dominate Viacheslav Borschev and Damir Hadzovic back to back.

Meanwhile, Johnson (20-18 MMA, 12-14 UFC) has struggled as of late. The Season 12 “Ultimate Fighter” finalist has lost five of his past six, most recently a split decision to Jamie Mullarkey in a Fight of the Night effort at UFC on ESPN 39 in July. His lone win in that stretch was a knockout of Alan Patrick in May.

With the addition, the UFC’s Dec. 3 lineup now includes:

  • Derek Brunson vs. Jack Hermansson
  • Tracy Cortez vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Matheus Nicolau vs. Matt Schnell
  • Eryk Anders vs. Kyle Daukaus
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Michael Johnson

[vertical-gallery id=329266]

Michael Johnson disagrees with scoring in split decision loss to Jamie Mullarkey at UFC on ESPN 39

Michael Johnson thought he did enough to get his hand raised on Saturday.

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] doesn’t feel like he lost despite having an official defeat in his last outing.

The UFC lightweight veteran thought he did enough to take home a victory at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 39 in Las Vegas. Johnson (29-18 MMA, 12-14 UFC) came up short in a split decision against Jaime Mullarkey. The scoring read 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of Mullarkey (15-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC), with a single judge scoring the fight for Johnson 29-28.

To Johnson’s surprise, he was confident he had done enough to get the decision win as the fight went to the scorecards.

“Welp, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “Great fight with (Jamie Mullarkey) tonight! Hats off to you sir! What’s understood doesn’t need to be said! Felt I got 1 and 3! Thank you to all my support squad and those continuing to ride with me! There’s no quit in this guy at all. We keep climbing and fighting and scratching to get back to where I belong!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf0M4-zrwZF/

[lawrence-related id=2561489,2561092]

The decision was heavily debated online, as it was a close contest that had many people split on who the winner was.

The decision came down to the first round, as that was the only round judges disagreed on. Two judges gave Mullarkey a 10-9, while only one gave it to Johnson. In that round, both fighters scored knockdowns, but Johnson’s came earlier in the fight and Mullarkey’s in the final seconds.

[vertical-gallery id=2560987]

UFC on ESPN 39 post-event facts: Ricky Turcios’ rough striking numbers enter record books

Ricky Turcios landed just 11.5 percent of his strike attempts at UFC on ESPN 39, putting him in the record books for the wrong reasons.

After International Fight Week took over the MMA world, UFC on ESPN 39 on Saturday proved to be something of a hangover card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) put a highlight on the end of a long night of fights, though, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of former UFC champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) to extend his winning streak in the lightweight division to six consecutive fights.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 39.