In the UFC Lincoln co-main we saw Michael Johnson in his second attempt to get a victory at featherweight, this time against Andre Fili, and he did.
Michael Johnson was one of the UFC‘s top lightweights for years. However, after losing four of his last five fights at 155, he made the move down to 145 pounds. His first attempt earlier in 2018 was against Darren Elkins and after a good first round he got taken down and submitted in the second round. Fili, on the other hand, has won two in a row, last defeating Dennis Bermudez in January, and a win over Michael Johnson would likely have him ranked.
After a solid first round by Michael Johnson that featured tons of back and forth on the feet, we saw Fili get Johnson’s back in the second round. In a standing position, it looked like Fili had a rear naked choke in. As they fell to the ground, Johnson kept fighting and was able to escape from it, and ended up on top. Johnson stayed on top for the duration of the second round and landed big elbows and punches from the top. Going into the third round it was anyone’s fight.
The third round followed the theme of the first two rounds, it was extremely close with Fili getting a takedown but Johnson recovering and staying on the feet. Near the end of the fight, Johnson tried to get the takedown but he couldn’t secure it, and soon time ran out. A super close fight between two featherweights trying to break into the top 15.
Michael Johnson was declared the winner and was more than relieved to get a featherweight win under his belt. When asked who’s next, he humbly responded, “I can’t call anyone out after a split decision.”
Winner: Michael Johnson via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)
