The Film Room: Michael Johnson

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Michael Johnson finds himself in the midst of a difficult stretch and will seek his first win as a featherweight when he tackles Andre Fili in the UFC Fight Night 135 co-headliner this Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. Johnson owns a 1-5 record across his past six appearances and needs a victory to keep his position of relevance on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

This installment of The Film Room brings the techniques and strategies employed by “The Menace” into focus.

Not long ago, Johnson was a Top-5 lightweight on the cusp of a title shot. However, a loss to Beneil Dariush in 2015 snapped a four-fight winning streak and touched off the worst stretch of his career. Having moved to featherweight, Johnson seeks a fresh start and a return to his former glory.



In his first fight at featherweight against Darren Elkins, Johnson looked like the slick boxer of old -- until “The Damage” authored a remarkable comeback and scored an improbable rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Johnson has always been known as a counter boxer, but his counter combinations were of particular interest against Elkins. Every time Elkins moved forward, Johnson met him with a flurry of counters. Counter boxers often look for that one perfect shot, but Johnson elects to go with two- to three-strike combinations.



Johnson still has the one-punch counters and possesses the power to finish anybody in the division. He was known for his speed and power at lightweight, and although his speed may not translate quite as well at 145 pounds, his power certainly does.



In his last fight at lightweight against Justin Gaethje, Johnson again looked better than ever before being victimized by an incredible comeback from the former World Series of Fighting champion. Gaethje was clearly caught off-guard by Johnson’s speed and was stunned twice, once by a lead uppercut and once by a right hook. Johnson throws his hooks a bit too wide and leaves himself open for counters, but his hands are so fast that his opponents have a difficult time reacting.



When Johnson senses the finish is near, he will back his opponent to the cage and either clinch and look for knees or throw wild combinations in the pocket. Johnson is not known for his clinch game, but he relies on it often and can catch opponents off-guard with unexpected knees from the plum clinch. Johnson often gets overzealous looking for the finish and throws the same combo repeatedly, like he did against Gaethje. Again, his hand speed makes it difficult to counter.



Many have forgotten that Johnson picked apart current lightweight contender and former interim champion Tony Ferguson six years ago, handing “El Cucuy” his first and only loss in the UFC. He controlled the fight from bell to bell and even dropped Ferguson once with a shuffling left hook. Johnson may not have the most impressive record at first glance, but he holds wins over top contenders like Ferguson, Dustin Poirier and Edson Barboza. Still just 32 years of age, “The Menace” appears to have plenty left in the tank despite his recent struggles.