‘The Menace’ didn’t take kindly to his opponent’s callout that led to them being matched for July 19.
The first face-off between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway was incredibly respectful as they prepare to meet in the main event on Saturday night.
However, this hasn’t been the case across the board heading into UFC 318 where several fighters have had some bad blood to get off their chests.
He may be fighting Roman Kopylov in the co-main event, but that didn’t stop Paulo Costa from speaking about his feud with Khamzat Chimaev when speaking to the media.
The likes of Brendan Allen and Marvin Vettori have had their heated interactions in the past, but there’s another notable name who had a bone to pick with his dance partner for July 19.
Michael Johnson calls out Daniel Zellhuber for his social media posts that led to their UFC 318 matchup
Opening the main card at UFC 318 is a lightweight matchup between one of the division’s exciting rising stars and an Octagon veteran of 30 fights.
Having not competed since his show-stealing split decision loss at UFC 306, Daniel Zellhuber made it perfectly clear which opponent he wanted to face next time out via an Instagram post.
The 26-year-old called out Michael Johnson by sharing videos of some of his knockout losses, writing in the caption that this would be his “tune up fight”.
Johnson and Zellhuber shared an encounter several months later at the UFC Apex before the fight was booked for July 19.
Having debuted in the UFC in 2010 after coming through ‘The Ultimate Fighter‘, Johnson is no stranger to a bit of trash talking, but he found his opponent’s behavior disrespectful.
‘The Menace’ addressed this during his media day interviews, claiming that he’s looking forward to humbling Zellhuber in New Orleans.
“Him in here talking s—, he’s a little too cocky. He’s a little too confident and he’s young, you know, I get it. These guys are young and they run their mouth and this and that. Even the way he got this fight was kind of a scumbag way.
“He wants to post me getting knocked out on his Instagram and talk so much trash and this and that. He’s just fuelling my fire. He’s just putting a lot of pressure on himself and he’s gonna learn the hard way.”
- READ MORE: Israel Adesanya gives former rival Paulo Costa a brutal reality check ahead of his UFC 318 return
Michael Johnson has faced some incredibly tough opposition, including Dustin Poirier
Daniel Zellhuber may be one of the most exciting talents to keep an eye on in the lightweight division but Michael Johnson is tried and tested.
The 39-year-old has achieved incredible longevity in the promotion, which is likely why Zellhuber believes that he can use him as a stepping stone to get back on track.
During his UFC career, Johnson has faced the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje.
Not to mention that in one of his biggest ever wins, ‘The Menace’ stopped Dustin Poirier in one round in 2016, which then set him up to face Nurmagomedov at UFC 205 in New York.