Lightweights Michael Johnson and Ottman Azaitar closed out the UFC Tampa preliminary card on Saturday.
Johnson, a longtime UFC veteran (14 years this month), had been trading wins and losses across his last five fights. Azaitar had his back against the wall, meanwhile, having lost his last two bouts.
The first couple minutes of the opening round were spent in a feeling out process, both fighters mindful of the power coming the other way. They were both going to the body and very few kicks were thrown. With Johnson controlling the center of the octagon, he pushed Azaitar to the fence and shot a takedown that the Moroccan stuffed rather easily. In the last minute of the round, Johnson tagged with a counter right hook and followed it up with a left hand that wobbled Azaitar. A clear 10-9 for Johnson due to that last exchange.
There were big swings from both fighters once again to start round 2. Azaitar started to throw a couple more kicks up high to keep Johnson’s hands stapled to his head. A big exchange saw Azaitar landing on Johnson. He must have thought he hurt him more than he actually did, because he then recklessly pushed forward and got caught with a massive counter right from Johnson that put him out cold. Johnson fired a couple more shots to an unconscious Azaitar for good measure.
The 42-fight veteran proved he’s not done yet with a vintage performance and closes out the year in a big way, going 2-0 in 2024.
Official Result: Michael Johnson def. Ottman Azaitar by knockout (Round 2, 2:03)
