Remember how beastly Michael Johnson looked vs Barboza?

MJ is great at taking a shit ton of damage in most of his UFC fights. Takes its toll. I was honestly scared for his health when khabib had him on the ground. ("I must be champion, you know this")

Plus, he's faced stiff competition throughout his career.

And there's a ton of videos of him sparring hard.

Solid gatekeeper, tough as nails, separates the top tier from the middle of the pack.
 
ArtOfDrowning said:
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.
Click to expand...
He was so far from done that Khabib had to BEG him to quit.

Heart of the lion
 
Barboza has always (or at least until recently) struggled with aggressive fighters who pressured him, kept him out of his kicking rhythm and were versatile enough to force him to fear the takedown. Michael Johnson has historically run hot and cold but stylistically he had all of the weaponry to do that to Barboza.
 
Final Say said:
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
Click to expand...
Ur way off. His boxing, both pressure game(Barboza/Lauzon bouts) as well as his counter game(Poirier/Tibau) are very skillful.

Athleticism & explosiveness is what he lacks & what keeps him from being elite. He has very fast hands which make up for those areas he lacks. And despite being pigeon-footed he has very solid, basic fundamental footwork.
 
Johnson is an overrated UFC journeyman with sloppy box and no heart when things dont go his way.
 
Cowboy Cerroliveira said:
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.
Click to expand...
Who knows what he was going thru. So many things can effect the outcome of a fight. Injuries, new camp, sparring partners missing, bad cycle, woman issues, being schemed on money by leaches, family death, fighting in home area, etc.
 
binny said:
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.
Click to expand...
So the 9 total strikes MJ landed to the head of Khabib?
 
BjPenn2017 said:
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.
Click to expand...
i don't like the guy but that's true. he's fought the best of the best.
 
theTKDguy said:
i don't like the guy but that's true. he's fought the best of the best.
Click to expand...

He fought Poirier when he was on a two fight losing streak and KO'd the guy. Called out Khabib afterwards and then fights Gaethje after Khabib. I'm pretty sure every single fight he's fought since the joe Lauzon fight has been against guys in the top 10-15 at the time.
 
TJH Exitium said:
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
Click to expand...
So you missed Khabib's heading snapping back I guess.

Here this video highlights some of the clean shots MJ landed as well as the whole fight.
 
Last edited:
Just for the record he would destroy Barboza again only this time he'd probably finish him
 
BjPenn2017 said:
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.
Click to expand...

Nate put on a fucking clinic. One of his best outings
 
Joseph_McBride said:
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
Click to expand...

This.
 
BjPenn2017 said:
He fought Poirier when he was on a two fight losing streak and KO'd the guy. Called out Khabib afterwards and then fights Gaethje after Khabib. I'm pretty sure every single fight he's fought since the joe Lauzon fight has been against guys in the top 10-15 at the time.
Click to expand...

Definitely hasn't gotten a single easy fight. Ironically he and Barboza have probably the best level of competition without a title shot in the LW division.
 
BionicCommando said:
Definitely hasn't gotten a single easy fight. Ironically he and Barboza have probably the best level of competition without a title shot in the LW division.
Click to expand...
Between the both of them fought everyone not named Conor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,678
Messages
55,433,923
Members
174,775
Latest member
kilgorevontrouty

Share this page

Back
Top