Michael Johnson Wants ‘Big Fights’ At Featherweight & Lightweight

Michael Johnson wants “big fights.”

“The Menace” finally won at 145 pounds against Andre Fili last week. He picked up a controversial split decision win at UFC Lincoln. It was his first win inside the Octagon since September of 2016.

The victory broke a three-fight losing skid by Johnson. Prior to his string of losses Johnson picked up notable wins against the likes of Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson.

Johnson spoke to MMA Junkie recently about his win. He seems to be extremely confident after defeating Fili in Nebraska. Johnson noted that, while money is important, he needs to get back to loving the sport:

“Money is definitely an issue,” Johnson said. “It’s not an issue, but it’s definitely a must to have. But at the same time, I need to get back to enjoying the sport.

“I need to get back to enjoying fighting and saying ‘f’ the money. When I got into the sport, it wasn’t about the money.

“It was about going in there and fighting the tougher guys and having fun. My last few fights, it was kind of about the money, and I saw those fights come up as losses.”

At this point in his career, the 32-year-old said he’s looking for “big fights” and he’s willing to jump from 145 and 155 pounds to get them:

“Leading into the future, I do want big fights,” Johnson said. “I want fun fights. If a fun fight pops up at lightweight, I’m going to jump on it. A tough guy at 145 that’s going to put me in position to make the run for the title next year, those are the fights I want.

“I’m not in it to fight the middle of the back at 145 any more. I want the best of the best at 145 and 155 pounds, as always.”