Michael Johnson - MMA

Michael Johnson mma

Michael Johnson is an American MMA fighter who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA fighter since 2008, Johnson mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing onto the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit to appear on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. As of May 26, 2014, he is #10 in official UFC lightweight rankings.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 4, 1986, Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson is the youngest of three children who sadly lost his father to fatal heart attack at the very young age of 10 years. The incident made Johnson want to exert his anger physically. Johnson later said, "I lost something, a huge part of me....Fighting was my way of not dealing with my dad's passing. Now that I think of it, of course, it was the wrong thing to do, especially putting that entire burden on my mom having to deal with it." Raised by his mother, Therese, Johnson trained at Springfield Fight Club, which is an affiliate of Gracie Barra based in Springfield, Missouri. Johnson also worked there as the assistant mixed martial arts coach.

It was there that Johnson really launched his MMA fighting career, including becoming the Midwest Fight League & Xtreme Cage Fighting champion, winning those titles in July 2008 and October 2009, respectively. Johnson is known for his relentless style, both in and out of the cage. In a sport full of hungry young fighters, “The Menace” stands out with his focus, dedication and passion to be the very best. Perhaps his tenacity is most evident in his persistence to become a part of The Ultimate Fighter.

Once on The Ultimate Fighter Johnson showcased his talent in impressive manner, defeating Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, Alex “Bruce LeRoy” Caceres, and Nam Pham to earn a slot in the finals of TUF 12 against Jonathan Brookins. Johnson made his UFC debut in The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs Team Koscheck Finale against Jonathan Brookins. After an impressive first round, Johnson lost rounds two and three and subsequently the fight, leaving him as the runner-up.

Michael Johnson mma

Following his runner up achievement on TUF 12, the St. Louis “Menace” moved his camp to Jackson’s Submission Fighting. Prior to taking on a UFC bout, Johnson considered a fight outside of the promotion, and at one point, he was slotted as the headline event in the North American Fighting Championship card against Jim Bleau. However, after obtaining a UFC fight, Johnson pulled out of the NAFC bout to focus his training on the UFC bout. Johnson faced Edward Faaloloto on June 26, 2011 at UFC on Versus 4 and won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Since then, Johnson has improved and found his bearings in the ufc, standing with an impressive record of 16 wins and 8 losses. In those rare times when Michael is not in training, he is usually seen enjoying time at the beach in South Florida, playing video games and remaining active by playing all kinds of sports.

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Edited by Staff Editor