Michael Johnson’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.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/michael-johnson-says-lot-more-to-accomplish-ufc-lightweight

Patricio Freire wasn’t disappointed, nor surprised, to see rival Michael Chandler succeed at UFC 257.

The outcome was what the Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion Freire envisioned. Chandler defeated Dan Hooker in emphatic fashion with a first-round knockout.

Freire doesn’t think Chandler’s success will end with just one UFC victory.

“I already predicted that he would start that way,” Freire told MMA Junkie in Portuguese through a translator on Thursday. “I think he beats every one of the top guys in the UFC. He has very powerful hands. His striking is getting better, and he’s a super wrestler for MMA. I believe he can be the champion.”

Despite all of the trash talk and bad feelings, which Freire projected to the world on UFC 257 fight night and beyond, Freire likes that Chandler is winning. If Chandler’s stock rises, so does Freire’s. When the two fought in May 2019, Freire defeated Chandler by TKO in 61 seconds. “Pitbull” plans on never letting Chandler live that down.

“I’ve been saying this in all my interviews recently,” Freire said. “This has been a good thing for me. Even if he doesn’t want it to be this way, the more that he wins, the more that me destroying him will look great. I’ve been pretty vocal about it.

“He spent three years talking after he beat my brother on social media, so I’ll be doing this forever. There are some fans that complain and talk trash to me. Others think that’s fine and they like it. But I don’t really give a damn, I just care about what I have the desire to do, and I’ll keep doing it. … As my official representative in the UFC right now, everything he does well will look good for me.”

For Freire, his comments about Chandler and the UFC aren’t about jealousy or throwing himself into the spotlight. Sure, it’s about rubbing it in Chandler’s face. But furthermore, it’s about telling the world “I told you so. Bellator fighters are as good as any.”

“No one has done to him what I did, and I don’t think anyone ever will,” Freire said. “It’s good for this sport because people talk like Bellator is a second-tier promotion and UFC is the top-tier of the sport. It’s not like that. We are all the same level, but you have differences when you spend all those years saying how we’re the B-league and when getting there we have to prove ourselves.”

“Pitbull” warned Bellator haters that their doubt will backfire. The more an athlete is told he or she can’t do something, the more motivation that’s created to achieve new heights. That’s what Chandler did.

“You have a great fighter who’s now even hungrier and thirstier than he was before, trying to prove to himself that he’s not the can everyone was writing him to be,” Freire said. “It makes not just Chandler, but anyone making the jump from Bellator to the UFC more dangerous than the UFC guys are to us.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/mma-news-bellator-patricio-freire-sees-stock-rise-when-ufc-michael-chandler-wins

After an incredible promotional debut at UFC 257 with a knockout win over Dan Hooker, number four ranked lightweight contender Michael Chandler sat down with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani to talk about what’s next in his UFC career.

Chandler started off by naming his top priority and his preferred opponent.

“I think with Dustin Poirier’s performance, I think with my performance, I think both of those warrant for us to fight for the title next,” Chandler said.

“Dustin Poirier needs to be one half of that world title conversation, obviously. He’s earned it.”

However, Chandler is well aware that he might not get that title shot next. Especially against Poirier, who has said he doesn’t think Chandler deserves a fight with him after a victory over Hooker, whom Poirier defeated last July.

If Chandler does not get the first fight on his wish list, he already knows who would be next if it were up to him.

“If I don’t get the next title shot, I understand why,” Chandler said. “I’m just kind of taking it in stride. I will be indifferent about that decision.”

“I think (Justin Gaethje) is a fight that excites me. I think it’s a fight where I match up extremely well,” Chandler continued. “You had a guy who I tangled with a couple times named Eddie Alvarez, who beat Justin Gaethje whenever they fought for the unofficial title of most violent guy in the UFC. Eddie Alvarez won that fight. I think I’m the new most violent guy in the UFC, if Justin Gaethje wants to prove that, he’s gonna need to step into the octagon against me.”

Chandler also noted that he was offered a fight with a top lightweight contender in the very near future.

In fact, Chandler even flew down to Florida with the belief that he would train for this fight, but ultimately, the other lightweight in question declined the bout offer.

“I was ready to stay [in Florida] and train for the next eight days and then hop on a flight to Vegas,” Chandler said. “This opportunity did not come to fruition based on the other person saying no. But I said yes, I’m trying to get some clarity in this lightweight division.”

It was later reported that it was number three ranked lightweight contender Charles Oliveira who turned down a non-title fight against Chandler at UFC 258 in February. His coach, Diego Lima, told Sherdog.com that they turned down the Chandler bout because it was short notice and Oliveira believes he should be fighting for the UFC lightweight title next.

Whether his next opponent is Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, or any of the other sharks swimming in the top five of the lightweight division, Michael Chandler is here to stay.

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/michael-chandler-im-the-new-most-violent-guy-in-the-ufc

Conor McGregor suffered the first TKO loss of his career when Dustin Poirier took his leg out from under him at UFC 257. McGregor has shown nothing but resolve since, even when rehashing the bout for his fans on Instagram.

McGregor posted a few highlights on Wednesday, but included a rather lengthy assessment of how the fight went down, what positives he took away from it, and his understanding of why Poirier was so successful with his low calf kicks.

Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 breakdown:

“What a trilogy I now have on my hands. Exciting! 

With a handle on the leg kicks, I will get back to having fun in there. I was in second gear cruising this fight. Best condition I’ve ever been in. After the wrestling and clinch exchanges my shots still held their pop. First time for me with this, so I am very encouraged to keep going. It was the first time I did not use/nor need the stool between rounds also. I did need the stool after tho that’s for sure.

I am extremely happy I did not need to use the stool between rounds here anyway. Another first for me! I am most certainly on the right path. Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution.

Thoughts on the bout: I enjoyed racking up some more time inside the famed UFC Octagon. 40 seconds in 3 years is all I’d had up to this bout. I was savoring every second and enjoying my work. A little single disciplined in my approach and stance with mostly boxing. It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against Pacman. I deserved to get the legs kicked off me going in with this thinking. This is not the game to play around with.

Besides this though, my shots where sharp and I was in full control. Albeit the leg attacks where building up on me throughout the course. 18 in total thrown at me, with the final one buckling my leg fully, that was that. The peroneal nerve compromised. Fascinating! First time to experience it. Then a tremendous finishing flurry by my opponent.

Hats off! A well fought fight by The Diamond. 1 a piece now with a Trilogy bout for all the marbles! Wow! Exciting! Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!”

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UFC 257: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier recap highlights

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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/conor-mcgregor-rehashes-ufc-257-loss-to-dustin-poirier-i-deserved-to-get-the-legs-kicked-off-me

Clay Collard thinks Jake Paul venturing into the world of boxing is disrespectful to the sport.

MMA fighter Collard, who recently laced up the gloves to start a pro boxing career in 2017, has found success in the ring, amassing a record of 9-3-3.

While Collard has captured plenty of headlines for his successful boxing career, it wasn’t quite at the magnitude of YouTube sensation Paul, who has the whole combat sports world talking despite never competing against an actual boxer.

After scoring knockouts of fellow YouTube star KSI and former NBA player Nate Robinson, Paul has drawn former Bellator welterweight champion and ex-UFC fighter Ben Askren on April 17.

Considering that not only has Askren never boxed in his life, but also isn’t known for his striking, Collard thinks the matchup is a mockery of the sport, even taking aim at Askren for joining in the festivities.

“I don’t even want to talk about it, bro,” Collard told MMA Junkie. “It’s embarrassing to me. That’s stupid to me. Jake Paul, I mean he doesn’t box boxers. It’s all fake to me. They’re not fighters, man, and shame on Ben Askren for taking the fight. And Ben Askren might get beat up because he’s the guy (who) don’t know how to box at all. So I don’t know, man. It’s just embarrassing to me. Jake Paul should not be in combat sports. Go back to making YouTube videos, bro.

“I said it back when (the Paul brothers) first started fighting. People have been working their entire lives to get on those big shows and get opportunities like that, and just because this guy has a little bit of a following, he just gets tossed in there and gets to fight on these shows and fight these guys, and I just think it’s embarrassing for the sport.”

Collard (18-8-1) will re-shift his focus to MMA when he enters PFL’s upcoming 2021 lightweight season with the likes of former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and reigning PFL champ Natan Schulte. He will compete in MMA for the first time since April 2019, when he picked up a unanimous decision win over Randall Wallace at Final Fight Championship 35.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/jake-paul-vs-ben-askren-boxing-match-embarrassing-clay-collard-reaction