Michael Johnson showed he can still pack a punch at UFC Tampa.
'The Menace' has suffered defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje, suggesting he was never going to be a top lightweight contender in the UFC.
However, his 42-fight resume is also littered with high-profile wins over Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier, whom he knocked out cold in September 2016.
Michael Johnson's ability to beat anyone on his day has made him a fan favorite, and Colby Covington, who headlined the event they both fought on Saturday night.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Michael Johnson sleeps Ottman Azaitar
A video of the interaction between Covington and Johnson went viral ahead of UFC Tampa.
It shows the two men exchanging pleasantries before 'Chaos' walks away and explains to the camera that Johnson is his favorite fighter after knocking out Poirier.
Covington said: “Michael Johnson is a legend. He's my favorite fighter, he knocked Dustin Poirier bloody cold.”
Johnson dropped Poirier with a big right hand as they fought, and he used the same punch to score a faceplant knockout win over Ottman Azaitar in his 30th UFC fight.
The sickening shot earned Covington's favorite fighter a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, but the former interim welterweight champion failed to get the job done in the main event.
Covington suffered a third-round defeat to the doctor after a cut opened by Joaquin Buckley was deemed so bad that the fight could not continue. UFC boss Dana White disagreed with the stoppage and insisted the fight would have been allowed to go ahead if it had taken place in Las Vegas.
Michael Johnson scored points in the UFC feud
Covington wasn't the only one Johnson used to take shots at Poirier this week. Michael Chandler also reminded 'The Diamond' of his famous lightweight debut defeat.
'Iron Mike' took to Twitter after watching Johnson KO Azaitar. Chandler initially focused on praising his friend, tweeting: “My man @Menace155 has the best right hook in the world. Throughout MMA. Dude still has it!”
He added alongside footage of the UFC Tampa KO: “Best right hook in UFC history. #changemymind.”
It was his third tweet showing that he is still willing to launch an attack on his old rival Poirier. The 38-year-old shared a video of Johnson knocking out Poirier, with the caption: “Best right hook in UFC HISTORY. Never forget this.”
Poirier choked out Chandler when they fought at UFC 281 in November 2022. The former interim lightweight champion was quick to remind him of that when responding to the attempted troll on social media.
Poirier wrote: “Remember when I beat you? You are 2-4 in the UFC Muscle Milk Mike.”
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