Michael Johnson knows firsthand the challenge of stepping into the Octagon with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The two faced off in November 2016 at UFC 205, where Khabib submitted Johnson in the third round of their lightweight bout.
"The Menace" had taken the fight on just two weeks' notice, a fact that added to the difficulty of facing the undefeated Dagestani fighter. Fans may remember the intense moment during the fight when Khabib was heard telling Johnson to give up, claiming he needed a title fight.
I was like, ‘F*ck you!’” Johnson recalled during an appearance on Mike Perry's Overdogs Podcast. “I hit him with a backhand like, ‘I’m still in it. I can’t move, but I’m in it.' I wasn’t going to f*cking give up. He’s good.
Reflecting on the fight, Johnson admitted that focusing solely on Nurmagomedov’s wrestling was a mistake:
I went into that fight, his wrestling is all I thought about. His wrestling, his wrestling, his wrestling. So, I wasn’t thinking about myself, and that was the mistake. I just went in there kind of waiting for him to shoot, trying to find my motions. I was kind of crouched down, and I couldn’t really move around.
Johnson also spoke about Khabib's strength and dominance:
Bro, he’s good, strong. He felt like a middleweight, and that’s a problem. I couldn’t move, but he helped me get better. I went back to the gym and started working on that. Without that fight, I wouldn’t be here.
Nurmagomedov went on to capture the UFC lightweight title and successfully defend it three times before retiring undefeated.
As for Johnson, he recently delivered a standout performance, earning Performance of the Night honors for his knockout of Ottman Azaitar earlier this month at UFC Tampa.