Michael Johnson had some harsh words for Conor McGregor after landing the biggest knockout of his professional career.
“The Menace” had a mixed record going into his bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC Fight Night 94, losing his last two fights against Nate Diaz and Beneil Dariush via judges’ decision.
Things would go differently against Poirier, who was on a four-fight winning streak to bounce back from his knockout defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 178.
Poirier must’ve had flashbacks from that night when he battled Michael Johnson, who battered “Diamond” in their 95-second clash as he knocked him out with a clean combination in the first round.
Johnson should have been elated with such a historic win, but he immediately called the UFC 202 main event instead of enjoying his victory.
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Michael Johnson called out Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor for ‘scrapping’ after he knocked out Dustin Poirier
After his strong left hand knocked Poirier out cold, Johnson immediately slammed McGregor for his fight against Diaz in the main event of UFC 202.
McGregor went five rounds against Diaz in Las Vegas, fighting a careful, patient fight after being shockingly submitted by The Ultimate Fighter winner just months earlier.
While it won Fight of the Night, Johnson was not a fan of the tamer confrontation, telling the crowd after beating Poirier that he was putting on better performances than McGregor, who he accused of having a “sparring match”.
Johnson said: “I’m just coming in here, just showing people that I’m serious in this division.
“Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are getting paid that money, and they’re out here scrapping, having a spar match. I come to finish fights, I go for the kill. Pay me, baby, what’s up!”
The callout seemed to be a challenge for McGregor. Johnson rose up the Lightweight ranks with that victory and was aiming for a bout with the UFC’s biggest star.
However, despite claiming to “finish fights” and “go for the kill”, Johnson was relentlessly mauled by his next opponent in humbling fashion.
Khabib Nurmagomedov decimated Michael Johnson before his iconic bout with Conor McGregor
Johnson never got his big money fight with McGregor, as he was stopped by one of the greatest UFC Champions of all time, Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his next bout.
On the same night that McGregor beat Eddie Alvarez to become a double champion, Johnson faced Khabib in what was effectively a title eliminator for a shot at Notorious.
Johnson started off hot and got some big hits in on Khabib, but the Russian Eagle soon got him to the ground, and, with three rounds to go until the finish, the fight was effectively over.
Khabib made light work of Johnson, wearing him down with his wrestling skills and hammer fists with attacks that made Johnson’s defenses look absolutely worthless.
Johnson tapped out in the third round after nearly nine minutes of being dominated to lose his chance to make good on his callout after the Poirier win, while Khabib went on to dominate McGregor like nobody had ever seen before.