Timothy Johnson did his thing, clinching his way to victory against the young Marcelo Golm at UFC Belem.
Timothy Johnson has had a tough go in the UFC, with a 3-3 record alternating wins and losses ever since signing with the promotion in 2015. Johnson had a pair of debatable split decisions in a row, losing against Alexander Volkov and defeating Marcin Tybura, both top 10 heavyweights. Johnson is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Brazilian prospect Junior Albini.
Marcelo Golm is a promising Brazilian who won his first five career fights via knockout. This caught the eye of the UFC, and Golm lived up to expectations by submitting Christian Colombo in the first round in his promotional debut just over two months ago.
This fight followed the typical stylings of a Timothy Johnson fight. Johnson would charge forward, push Golm against the fence. Golm started the fight with leg kicks but could not keep Johnson away for long. All that marked the first round was a heavy left hand by Johnson, and a failed takedown attempt from Golm. The rest was dominated by Timothy Johnson in the clinch against the cage. Also, a clash of heads opened a cut under the eye of the American.
More of the same happened in round two. Golm hit Johnson with a head kick that was blocked then elbowed the head of Johnson as the latter attempted a takedown against the cage. After they separated, Golm landed a low kick but Johnson was on him again. More clinching occurred to finish off the round.
A wild exchange occurred in the start of the final round. A leg kick sent Johnson tumbling, then he rebounded and hit Golm with a hard combination marked by a beautiful uppercut. Johnson followed up with a combination, then slowed things down in the clinch. All it took to end this fight were two more clinches from Johnson.
Timothy Johnson def. Marcelo Golm by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
