Michael Johnson was a sizable underdog going into UFC 318 but he showed the old dog still has some new tricks after beating Daniel Zellhuber to kick off the main card.
With blinding speed and power still on his side, Johnson kept Zellhuber guessing for much of the fight but a nasty punch in the second round scored a knockdown for the lightweight veteran that really helped him surge ahead. The punching power to the head and body made the difference with Johnson ultimately winning a decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor.
“It’s extremely special,” Johnson said about the win. “My hat’s off to Daniel, he’s very tough, he’s got a lot of skill but he just ate a plate of humble pie. It feels great. I wanted the finish but Daniel’s tough, he’s young. I just taught the young buck a lesson.”
Some early striking exchanges saw Zellhuber connecting with some nasty body kicks and Johnson firing back at him with long, rangy punches. Midway through the opening round, Johnson started concentrating more on body shots of his own and then going back up top to the head while still displaying lightning quick speed in his hands.
The kicking attacks from Zellhuber continued as he just blasted away and forced Johnson to block and he constantly absorbed the damage to his arms. Johnson then countered with a powerful left hand that sent Zellhuber crashing to the canvas in a heap.
Johnson went for a flurry on the ground but Zellhuber defended enough to get the fight back to the feet.
From there, Zellhuber tried to kick his way back into the fight but Johnson was still making him pay with better punches including another left hand that was consistently landing on target.
With five minutes remaining, Zellhuber finally started to mash down on the gas pedal, stepping forward and varying his combinations but he still wasn’t able to truly slip through Johnson’s defense. While Johnson was suddenly a step behind, he was firing back at Zellhuber to keep him honest and never falling too far behind in the fight.
That was enough for Johnson to secure the victory as he notched his third win in a row overall and proved he’s still a threat to anybody and everybody in the lightweight division.
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