Lightweights
Michael Johnson (21-19, 13-15 UFC) vs. Darrius Flowers (12-6-1, 0-1 UFC)It has been a fascinating career for Johnson. He came to the UFC in 2010 through “The Ultimate Fighter” and had an inconsistent start to his UFC career—though it did include a 2012 win over Tony Ferguson—before seemingly breaking through in his 2013 victory over Joe Lauzon where “The Menace” suddenly clicked as a dangerous and dynamic striker. That kicked off a four-fight winning streak that saw Johnson rise to contender status by mid-2015, at which point went on a run of five losses in six fights that seemingly summed up all the pros and cons of his career. That lone win was a 95-second knockout of Dustin Poirier that might be the most one-sided losses of the Louisianan’s career, and a subsequent loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov was also one of the hardest fights of the Russian’s UFC career, as Johnson buzzed him early before eventually falling victim to his crushing wrestling game. Most of the other losses during that time show the mental issues that have plagued Johnson throughout his career. Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje were able to lure Johnson into a brawl and defeat him as a result, and a loss to Darren Elkins reaffirmed his tendency to break against opponents who can implement a relentless wrestling and grappling game. The last half-decade has been a mix of highs and lows that has often seen Johnson snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, though just when a loss to Clay Guida seemed to be the last straw in terms of relevance, he rebounded with what should have been an undefeated 2022 campaign. Johnson was fully locked in for fights against Alan Patrick, Jamie Mullarkey and Marc Diakiese, putting in sharp and complete performances to earn wins over Patrick and Diakiese while losing a controversial decision to Mullarkey. That run just made Johnson’s 2023 particularly disappointing, as he looked solid against Diego Ferreira before suddenly falling victim to a knockout blow in May. Johnson looks to rebound against Flowers in a fight he certainly should win but could also just serve as the latest disheartening loss.
A 2022 alum of Dana White’s Contender Series, Flowers earned his contract by injuring his opponent with a slam, which about sums up the approach of “Beast Mode.” Flowers is a bowling ball of a lightweight who constantly tries to use his physicality to create damage, even if the results often wind up a bit wild. That was enough to run through a lot of overmatched regional opposition, but while Flowers did succeed in causing some chaos against Jake Matthews in his UFC debut, he did eventually look out of his depth by the time the Aussie clamped on the fight-ending submission in the second round. Johnson really should have the skill to blast an opponent as wild as Flowers at some point. However, there is a distinct risk that Johnson gets thrown into a panic by Flowers’ aggression and finds himself getting quickly knocked out. The bet is that the UFC veteran can survive and outlast, even if that is always a risky call when it comes to Johnson. The pick is Johnson via second-round stoppage.
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Hermansson vs. Pyfer
Ige vs. Fili
Bryczek vs. Potieria
Rodrigues vs. Tavares
Johnson vs. Flowers
Vieira vs. Petrosyan
The Prelims