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What's the story?
UFC featherweight fighter, Michael Johnson, featured in a recent interview on the MMAjunkie Radio and was seen expressing interest in fighting exciting new featherweight prospect, Zabit Magomedsharipov. Michael Johnson said that he is also open to fighting on immediate notice and, if necessary, could squeeze into the UFC 232 fight card, on December 29th, 2018, at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
In case you didn't know..
Michael Johnson is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the featherweight division of the UFC. He is an experienced fighter, with a professional record of 19 wins and 13 losses. Johnson has previously had victories over the likes of Tony Ferguson, Danny Castillo, Edson Barboza, and Dustin Poirier. His last contest came in the form of a short notice fight against Artem Lobov, who he beat via unanimous decision.
Zabit Magomedsharipov is a Russian mixed martial artist who fights under the 145-pound weight class, in the UFC. He is a former ACB featherweight champion, with a professional MMA record of 16 wins, and just one loss. He has had four consecutive victories with the UFC and has displayed no signs of hesitation in taking on the bigger names in the business like Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo.
The heart of the matter
During a recent interview on the MMAjunkie Radio station with UFC featherweight contender, Michael Johnson, the 145-pounder was seen talking about his readiness in fighting during any moment, should the UFC require his services. Former UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, is set-up for a probable encounter against Zabit, but Johnson seems to be more keen on taking on the Russian as early as UFC 232 on December 29th, 2018.
In October, this year, Michael Johnson was also seen demanding a rematch with the current lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib went on to significantly defeat Johnson, making it seem as though 'The Menace' would have to scale up the rankings before considering the thought of a rematch with Nurmagomedov. Johnson was also further seen lending out an invitation to Jose Aldo, in case the Brazilian would be interested to share the Octagon space with him.
What's next?
With just a few weeks left to UFC 232, it will be interesting to see if a last-minute upset propels Michael Johnson into a contest against Zabit Magomedsharipov. Do you think Zabit could pose unexpected problems for Michael Johnson by using his unorthodox fighting methods?
Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!
