The lightweight veteran (up to 70,3 kg), Michael Johnson, showed that there is still a lot of fuel left to burn within the category. In UFC Tampa, held last Saturday (14), the American gave no chance to Ottman azaitar e applied a brutal knockout in Moroccan. The result put 'The Menace' back on a winning streak on MMA's biggest stage and, even at nearly 40 years old, he has no plans to retire any time soon.
During the press conference following his victory in the UFC Tampa, Johnson expressed that he intends to continue his career for a few more years. The 42-fight veteran mentioned his friendship with his former rival Nate diaz, who shares the same mentality of fighting until later, and stated that, for him, this phase of his career could be the peak, even at 38 years old.
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“I want to fight for another five years. I always tell people I want to do another eight to ten years and they look at me like that. I’m not slowing down any time soon. As long as my body is healthy and I can get through what I need to get through, I’m going to fight as long as I can. I think Nate diaz said it best. He was an opponent of mine, but he became a good friend. But he made a comment like, 'Shit, I'm going to fight until I'm 50. I'm just getting started.' And that's it. I'm just getting started. This could be my peak.
“A lot of people peak at 25, 30. Maybe I’m peaking at 38, 40,” Johnson said.
Despite being out of the lightweight division rankings, Michael Johnson aimed for a rematch against the third-placed team, Justin gaethje, as the next step in his career. The fighter believes that fans would love to see this fight again and recalled that he was the first to give 'Highlight' an opportunity when he arrived at the UFC.
“The struggle with Justin gaethje, that’s the one I want… I think everyone would love a rematch between Gaethje and Johnson. I gave him that opportunity when he came to the UFC, when nobody else wanted it. So I think he should give it back. We need to do it again, because I know he knows he narrowly escaped that one,” he concluded. Michael Johnson.
A UFC employee since 2010, Johnson has now won his 23rd career victory. The fighter has already beaten names such as Dustin poirier, Tony Ferguson e Edson Barboza.
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Read More about: Justin gaethje, Michael Johnson, Nate diaz, Ottman azaitar, UFC Tampa
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