UFC Lincoln continues to grow, as the card (numerically UFC Fight Night 135) has now added Michael Johnson vs. Andre Fili.
UFC Lincoln has an intriguing featherweight tilt on its hands. On Friday, the UFC announced that former lightweight Michael Johnson and Andre Fili would tangle on the Nebraska card later this Summer. The event serves as UFC Fight Night 135, and is currently slated to feature a lightweight scrap in the main event: a grudge match between Justin Gaethje and James Vick.
Vick recently replaced Al Iaquinta, who pulled out of the fight for undisclosed reasons.
Johnson (17-3), an Ultimate Fighter 12 finalist, broke into the UFC via the show, losing in the finale in 2010 to Jonathan Brookins. After a decent start to his UFC run at 8-4, however, Johnson has hit hard times. He’s just 1-5 in his last six, and 9-9 overall in the company. During that stretch, he was finished by UFC Lincoln headliner Gaethje in the 2017 Fight of the Year.
Mired in a slump, Johnson opted to test the 145lb waters starting with his last bout, a loss to Darren Elkins at UFC Fight Night 124. The upcoming Lincoln card sees ‘The Menace’ with his back firmly to the wall as a result.
A featherweight bout heads to the Cornhusker State.@FollowTheMenace meets @TouchyFili on August 25.
Tickets are on sale NOW ➡️ https://t.co/krg3MXEYFK pic.twitter.com/bkgMyX44WW
— UFC (@ufc) June 29, 2018
For Andre Fili (18-5), UFC Fight Night 135 represents the chance to improve his winning streak to three straight. Fili has vanquished Artem Lobov and Dennis Bermudez (another ‘Menace’) in his last two fights.
UFC Lincoln takes place in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Pinnacle Bank Arena on August 25, 2018.
