Like a lot of fighters first setting foot in a gym, for Jose Johnson, MMA was a way out. A way to get off the streets, get on the straight and narrow. Stay out of trouble.
Johnson, now in the UFC, never expected to make a career out of it however. Instead, he breezed through dozens and dozens amateur bouts (Johnson estimates around 80) on sheer athletic talent alone. And nevermind pursuing a carrer in the sport – Johnson didn’t even decide to take training seriusly until he faced Trevor Morris in 2015 for the WXC amateur bantamweight championship.
“It was actually in my very last amateur fight where I made that decision [to pursue MMA as a career]. All the way up until then, I had no desire to be in the UFC, I had no desire to talk anything about a UFC belt, I barely even watched it to be honest with you,” Johnson told The Top Turtle Podcast on Cageside Press ahead of his fight with Felipe Bunes at UFC Vegas 101. “Only the main, major cards and a couple of fighters that I personally liked.”
Against Morris was when Harris recognized that he had true potential in the sport if he took training seriously. “I actually prepared for this fight, I actually was not going off of my athleticism and natural gifts. I actually trained for this one, and I was doing great against the number two, he was number two in Indiana and in Michigan at the time. Destroying him.”
Johnson found himself caught in the very last round, however, after initiating a takedown and getting stuck in an arm-bar. “I never lived that down, really, and it was at that moment where someone came to me and they told me to watch my fight over. And I watched my fight over, and I saw my potential.”
Fifteen or so title fights/belts between the amateur and regional scene later, and Johnson did land in the UFC. After a Contender Series appearance in 2022, he debuted the following year, and has posted a 1-2 record to date. That makes this Saturday’s fight against Bunes at UFC Vegas 101 a critical one.
While Johnson’s coaches feel he’ll “smash” Bunes, “I’m a little bit more humble than that, and I always give someone credit. He made it to the UFC the same way I did. He’s had a long career and a tougher route, same way I did. I’m not taking anything from him.”
Jose Johnson had found one flaw in his opponent, however. “I will say he stands still a lot, and that’s not really a good thing you want to do if, you’re personally looking at my size and my record. It shows I like to knock people out. So standing in front of me is not the best idea.”
UFC Vegas 101, with Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes featured, takes place on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.
