Middleweights Donte Johnson and Eric McConico faced off as part of the UFC 330 preliminary card on Saturday.
The pair didn’t take long to get to work, with the fight getting scrappy early on. A Johnson jab appeared to hit the mark early; Johnson employed stance switches while McConico stuck with southpaw. A moment later, Johnson was swinging a couple of wild hooks, and while those missed, they were trailed by a massive right hand. It was money, hitting the mark and snapping McConico’s head back. McConico went down like the mighty oak, and Johnson added a few follow-up strikes that were barely, if at all, necessary. Certainly not the back elbow that inadvertently tagged the ref.
McConico looked dazed, the ref looked annoyed, and Johnson was off celebrating a massive win.
Donte Johnson improves to 9-0 with the victory, with three of those under the UFC banner. “I am electrified, sanctified, purified,” Johnson told Joe Rogan after the win, citing his faith and saying that he did “what God told me to do.”
Johnson has big plans moving forward: “I plan on dropping down if I can, if my body will allow me.”
“I want three belts,” he added, suggesting one at middleweight, one at welterweight, and adding he’d finish his career at 205lbs with a third title.
Official Result: Donte Johnson def. Eric McConico by KO (punch), Round 1, 1:38
