Remember how beastly Michael Johnson looked vs Barboza?

[13Seconds]

He looked big, confident and aggressive.

What happened to that guy? In his last 2 fights he's looked tiny and weak... Still skillful but not nearly the same.

 

[20falarVerdades]

Not really, he almost finished Gaethje and Khabib is just a beast

 

[Threetrees]

Is this a USADA thread?
Because he looks the same physically to me

He just has terrible fight IQ, it limits his skill and talent significantly

 

[sirmorbach]

Nothing happened. He's a pretty decent fighter and these monster at 155 could very well beat each other at any given day.

 

[SKITZADACTYL]

meh, barboza got better.

 

[MacGregor]

He went for it in the Gaethje fight but Gaethje isn't 18-0 for nothing. Johnson was tough as shit his last 2 fights.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

Faced very good competition

 

[Joseph_McBride]

He went for it in the Gaethje fight but Gaethje isn't 18-0 for nothing. Johnson was tough as shit his last 2 fights.

And he iced Poirier. Then everyone wrote off Poirier, who looked great vs Eddie, who barely beat/arguably lost to Pettis who is suppose to be washed up. The truth is we put too much stock in the mathematical difference in rankings, specifically at 155 where the margin of skill between #1 & #10 is minimal. Dariush/Barboza, Poirier/Eddie, Ferguson/Lee, Conor/Nate (even tho they fought at 170) are good examplea of this. Even Khabib was nearly KO'd by MJ & was stalemated by Tibau

 

[Final Say]

Michael Johnson is pretty basic. I'm actually shocked at the guys he's beaten and the ranking he's reached. Not a particularly good striker, not a boxer.... just athletic and explosive I guess

 

[RaskeDanzig]

He's really only lost to Diaz, Gaejthe, and Khabib lately, which are all elite guys. So nothing happened, he just lost to great fighters.

 

[binny]

He beat the shit out of Khabib on the feet for as long as he could keep it there. He starched Dustin. Idk why he is so inconsistent but I don't think he's done shocking people.

 

[Goodyroom]

He's areally good round 1 fighter. I thought he won both or atleast did well against khabib and gaetjthe

 

[Mammothman]

meh, barboza got better.

I honestly think he looks the same, pressure fighters have always been his weakness

 

[TJH Exitium]

He beat the shit out of Khabib on the feet for as long as he could keep it there. He starched Dustin. Idk why he is so inconsistent but I don't think he's done shocking people.

no... he barely hit khabib with anything. Just because the commentators are screaming HE'S HURT doesn't mean it's true

1 punch hit khabib but not very hard... the rest hit khabib's gloves/arms/shoulders

 

[Cowboy Cerroliveira]

Barboza looked as though he was in no mood to fight that night. He looked disheveled 'n shit, with his hair grown out and unshaven face.

 

[binny]

no... he barely hit khabib with anything. Just because the commentators are screaming HE'S HURT doesn't mean it's true

1 punch hit khabib but not very hard... the rest hit khabib's gloves/arms/shoulders

Just watched, MJ was beating him on the feet and it wasn't even close.

 

[BjPenn2017]

He's taking all the fights no one else wants too and you see why.. Dude is the definition of fighter. Fuck off with the usada shit, Michael Johnson is a nightmare match up for Barboza. Constant forward pressure and fast hands are Barboza weakness and what MJ specializes in. Look at his schedule, probably the hardest of any LW fighter the past 2-3 years imo except for maybe RDA.

 

[BjPenn2017]

Michael Johnson is pretty basic. I'm actually shocked at the guys he's beaten and the ranking he's reached. Not a particularly good striker, not a boxer.... just athletic and explosive I guess

Fast hands and power. Also he stood with Nate for 3 rounds and wasn't even wobbled once I don't believe. I agree he throws punches kind of funky but he has decent boxing for sure. He arguably has the fastest hands at LW.

 

[ArtOfDrowning]

He is a front runner. As soon as you break him mentally he is done. Dustin would do the same but didn't survive long enough.

 

[HaulParris]

He’s good when he can dictate the action, but seems willing to get drawn into his opponent’s fight plan, which leads to him losing. Maybe a move away from Hooft would be a good idea - Hooft is a great striking coach but is worse than useless in the corner.