Despite his current rough stretch, Michael Johnson is not giving up on his goal of becoming champion.
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]’s record is certainly not reflective of the career he’s had in the octagon.
Johnson, a Season 12 “Ultimate Fighter” finalist, has fought a who’s-who in MMA. He holds wins over former UFC interim lightweight champions Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson, as well as the likes of Edson Barboza and Joe Lauzon.
But Johnson currently is on a three-fight losing skid and has dropped six of his past eight. A lot of his losses were heartbreaking – bouts in which he was winning or in firm control of before getting stopped.
Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) knows he has the ability to compete with the best, and despite his rough stretch, he’s not giving up on his goal of becoming champion.
“It’s kind of bittersweet because I’ve fought the best of the best, and I’m still on that path, and I’ve beaten some guys. But then at the same time, I haven’t accomplished what I’ve wanted to accomplish,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I haven’t fought for a world title, I haven’t become a world champion yet, and that’s something that’s on the radar – and I still have that plan in mind. I’m not going anywhere.
“And another thing is, I’ve just changed up my chain of thought and the living and everything. So all of those past fights, all the fights I’ve been into and all the guys that I’ve beaten, that means absolutely nothing right now. I’ve kind of rebranded myself to become a better man, a better person, and ultimately a better fighter.”
While having wins over the likes of Poirier and Ferguson will always be impressive on his resume, Johnson has put those accomplishments on the back burner.
As he enters his 24th UFC fight against fellow longtime fighter Clay Guida (35-20 MMA, 15-14 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 184 on Saturday, he’s looking to start a new run.
“It does (mean) a little bit because it means that I have the talent and it means I am good enough to be a world champion,” Johnson said. “That’s what it means to me right there – that I know I have the talent. I know I have the skill, and I just need to stay on the right path.
“As far as me saying it doesn’t mean anything to me, this is a new fight for me. It’s a new career for me. I’m starting out as 0-0, in my mind. I dropped my nickname. I don’t go by ‘The Menace’ anymore, so it’s just Michael Johnson. And I’m just here for business and to beat as many guys as I need to beat to get back to the title.”
The best facts and figures about UFC Fight Night 184, which features a Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov heavyweight main event.
The UFC returns to its home base of Las Vegas for the first time this year on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 184, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.
A heavyweight headliner tops the card, as devastating and precise strikers [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (47-18 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (32-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) clash in a five-round bout that was previously scheduled to take place in April 2019.
In addition, the undercard features a former UFC champion, a number of surging contenders, and some compelling newcomers. For more on the numbers, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 184.
As Justin Gaethje waits on his next assignment from UFC officials, Michael Chandler is a name that fans, at least, keep bringing up.
As [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] waits on his next assignment from UFC officials, [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] is a name that fans, at least, keep mentioning as a possibility.
Gaethje’s manager, Dominance MMA head Ali Abdelaziz, says his client is more than willing to take the fight but doesn’t think it necessarily makes a whole lot of sense in terms of quality.
“Michael Chandler is trying so hard to fight Justin Gaethje; Justin will fight him,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “It’s no problem, no problem at all. But in my opinion, he’s a little lower level than [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag].”
Chandler (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC), of course, is a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion who made a big splash in his UFC debut, knocking out perennial contender Dan Hooker at January’s UFC 257 event.
Meanwhile, Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) is in action at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 event in Las Vegas, where he takes on fellow longtime veteran Clay Guida (35-20 MMA, 15-14 UFC).
Johnson has struggled to find consistent results throughout his 11-year run in the sport’s biggest promotion, but he’s often show flashes of greatness, picking up wins over notables such as Edson Barboza, Danny Castillo, Tony Ferguson, Andre Fili, Melvin Guillard, Joe Lauzon, Dustin Poirier, Gleison Tibau, and even the GOAT, himself, Artem Lobov.
However, the 34-year-old lightweight is currently mired in a three-fight slump that he hopes to end on Saturday.
Abdelaziz says Chandler’s skills equate more to Johnson’s recent form than that shown in the biggest wins of his career.
“Michael Chandler is a little bit less of a fighter than when Michael Johnson was in his prime,” Abdelaziz said. “They’re both Michael, but I believe Michael Johnson was the better fighter. I think Michael Chandler is not like Michael Johnson used to be. He’s not like the Michael Johnson who beat Tony Ferguson, knocked out Dustin Poirier, beat all these guys. Mike Chandler is an old version of Michael Johnson.”
Despite having UFC careers spanning more than a decade, Clay Guida and Michael Johnson have never fought. But that changes in February.
More than 50 fights of UFC experience will collide inside the octagon in February when lightweight veterans [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] link up inside the octagon.
A matchup between the two longtime lightweights, both of whom also have fought at featherweight, goes down at a UFC Fight Night on Feb. 6. The card not have an official location, venue or broadcast plans yet.
MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup between Guida (35-20 MMA, 15-14 UFC) and Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) with multiple people close to the situation, who requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Guida, 38, has dropped three of his past four fights, with the lone triumph in that stretch coming against UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn. “The Carpenter” lost a unanimous decision to Bobby Green in his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 11 in June.
Johnson, 34, will attempt to snap a three-fight losing skid. “The Menace,” who owns notable wins over Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza, has not had his hand raised since beating Artem Lobov at UFC Fight Night 138 in October 2018.
The latest lineup for UFC’s Feb. 6 event includes:
All the notable stats and figures to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 29, which saw Glover Teixeira beat Anthony Smith in the main event.
The middle event in the UFC’s three-card return from the coronavirus pandemic went down Wednesday with UFC on ESPN+ 29, which streamed on ESPN+ from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
In the main event, [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) delivered a drubbing of [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] (32-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC), battering him until a fifth-round TKO to take a step further up the UFC light heavyweight pecking order.
Teixeira has made quite a mark on the divisional record books over the years but had a particularly special accomplishment against Smith. For more on the numbers behind his fight and the rest of the card, check below for 45 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 29
Teixeira, [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag] and [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 29 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.
Betting favorites went 4-6 on the card.
Betting favorites fell to 5-5 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 10-bout card was 2:05:23.
Main card
Glover Teixeira def. Anthony Smith
Teixeira’s four-fight UFC winning streak in light heavyweight competition is tied with Jon Jones, Ryan Spann and Magomed Ankalaev for the longest active streak in the division.
Teixeira became the second fighter in UFC history to earn a four-fight winning streak at 40 or older. Dan Henderson also accomplished the feat.
Teixeira’s 14 victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Jones (20) and Ryan Bader (15).
Teixeira’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Teixeira’s victory at 1:04 of Round 5 marked the second latest stoppage in a UFC light heavyweight bout behind Teixeira’s loss to Alexander Gustafsson (1:06 of Round 5) at UFC Fight Night 109.
Smith fell to 4-2 since he moved up to the UFC light-heavyweight division in June 2018.
Smith fell to 8-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2016.
Smith has suffered 13 of his 15 career losses by stoppage.
Ben Rothwell def. Anthony Smith
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) improved to 2-2 since he returned to competition in March 2019 after a nearly three-year layoff.
Rothwell earned his first decision victory since June 12, 2010 – a span of 3,623 days (nearly 10 years) and 12 fights.
[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (24-14 MMA, 12-9 UFC) was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.
Saint Preux fell to 2-4 in his past six fights dating back to February 2018.
Saint Preux has suffered nine of his 14 career losses by decision.
Dober (23-9 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has earned six of his nine UFC victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered both of his UFC losses by knockout.
[autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC flyweight division in February 2019. He fell to 6-4 in the weight class under the UFC banner.
Borg has suffered four of his five career losses by decision.
Andrei Arlovski def. Philipe Lins
[autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (29-19 MMA, 18-13 UFC) improved to 8-9 (with one no contest) since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in June 2014.
Arlovski’s 18 victories in UFC heavyweight competition are most in divisional history.
Arlovski’s total fight time of 4:48:42 in UFC heavyweight competition is the most in divisional history.
[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of his 13 career victories by stoppage.
[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag] (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) fell to 0-2 since he returned to the lightweight division in October 2019. He hasn’t earned a victory in the weight class since September 2016.
Johnson fell to 3-8 in his past 11 fights dating back to August 2015.
Johnson suffered the ninth submission loss of his career. He’s been tapped out in all but one of his career stoppage losses.
Preliminary card
Sijara Eubanks def. Sarah Moras
[autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag] (5-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) improved to 1-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in May 2019.
Eubanks has earned all three of her UFC victories by decision.
[autotag]Sarah Moras[/autotag] (6-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) fell to 2-5 in her past seven fights dating back to July 2015.
Moras has suffered five of her six career losses by decision.
[autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag] (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Kelleher (21-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 21 career victories by stoppage.
Azure (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his eight-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.
[autotag]Chase Sherman[/autotag] (14-6 MMA, 3-5 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC for a second stint. He earned his first victory with the promotion since July 2017.
Sherman has earned 13 of his 14 career victories by stoppage.
Sherman’s two knockout victories stemming from standing elbows in UFC competition are tied with Travis Browne and Alan Jouban for most in company history.
[autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag] (16-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered nine of his 10 career losses by stoppage.
Villanueva suffered his first knockout loss since Sept. 16, 2011 – a span of 3,162 days (nearly nine years) and 14 fights.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith are facing months-long medical suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 29 headlining clash.
[autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] are facing months-long medical suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN+ 29 headlining clash.
Teixeira (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC), who defeated Smith by fifth-round TKO, will not fight for 180 days unless he’s cleared by a physician. He will be mandated to serve 45 days of that suspension regardless of doctor’s clearance.
The Florida State Boxing Commission, which oversaw the event, has suspended Smith (33-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC) a minimum of 60 days. MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC 249 athletes’ medical suspensions from the Florida Boxing Commission on Thursday.
Other fighters facing potential 180-day layoffs include [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag], [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag], [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Omar Morales[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag].
UFC on ESPN+ 29 took place Wednesday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The complete list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 medical suspensions included:
Glover Teixeira: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 45 days.
Anthony Smith: Suspended minimum 60 days; additional suspension to be determined pending test results.
Ovince Saint Preux: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 30 days.
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days.
Alexander Hernandez: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 60 days.
Ricky Simon: Suspended 180 days unless cleared by physician; minimum suspension 30 days.
Five fighters made north of six figures Wednesday at UFC on ESPN+ 29, not including several who earned post-fight bonuses.
Veteran fighters [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag] walked away from UFC on ESPN+ 29 having pocketed a solid chunk of change Wednesday.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Arlovski (29-9 MMA, 18-13 UFC) led all fighters with a disclosed payout of $325,000 for his win over [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]. As a result of his split decision win over [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag], Rothwell (38-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) earned $260,000. For his fifth-round TKO win over [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag], Teixeira (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) earned $230,000.
Two other victorious fighters also took home six-figure disclosed paydays: including the aforementioned Smith, as well as UFC lightweight [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag].
The disclosed UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries from the Florida State Boxing Commission, which oversaw the event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., first were reported by MMA Fighting.
The full list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries included:
Glover Teixeira: $230,000
def. Anthony Smith: $130,000
Ben Rothwell: $260,000
def. Ovince Saint Preux: $95,000
The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC on ESPN+ 29 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.
MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn covers the fallout from UFC on ESPN+ 29, where Glover Teixeira beat Anthony Smith in the main event.
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in Jacksonville, Fla.? Here are a few post-fight musings …
* * * * *
1. Anthony Smith’s corner failed him
Before we move on to praising Glover Teixeira for his thorough victory in the main event, we must address the biggest discussion point, and that’s whether [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag]’s corner failed him by not stopping the fight before the referee did in the fifth round.
In short: Yes, they did.
Smith is named “Lionheart” for a reason, but even this was too much. Referee Jason Herzog could’ve easily stopped the fight when Smith was dropped in the early rounds, but fine, he gave Smith a chance to get back in the fight. It only took a few moments before it became abundantly obvious a rally wasn’t happening, and at that point Smith should’ve been saved by someone. Anyone.
To his credit, Smith moved every time Herzog told him to show something up until the merciful final sequence. Smith used veteran tactics to avoid the stoppage as long as possible, but when it become apparent he wasn’t going to quit, that’s when the corner needed to do its duty.
[lawrence-related id=519172,519026]
I’m not the slightest bit surprised Smith said he was OK with how the fight played out and had no issue with his corner work. That’s what he’s supposed to say, and he’s not going to turn his back on his team. But seriously, that was bogus. And if there’s any doubt, just look at Smith’s list of post-fight injuries. One can only wonder how many of those occurred after the initial knockdown.
Factory X coach Marc Montoya was in the corner and had the power to stop it. This isn’t the first time a situation like this has come up involving him. I’ll never forget the horrific beating Mike Davis handed Thomas Gifford at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in October, and Montoya was in the corner for that, too.
Sadly, other than some public and media scrutiny, no one’s feet will be held to the flame over this situation. The cornermen will be right back at the next event for their next fighter, and the world will go on.
Smith’s the one who has to take the worst of it, because it’s going to take some time for him to get back to full health. An even then, there’s no telling if the damage absorbed will change him for the worse. It’s truly sad, and something that could’ve been minimized if the people around Smith did a better job protecting him.
UFC on ESPN+ 29 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fighters from Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $166,000.
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+ 29 took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The entire card streamed ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 29 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:
Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’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 $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.
In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.
Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:
