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Lightweight Thiago Moises believes he will be able to choke out Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 175.
Lightweight Thiago Moises is looking forward to sharing the Octagon with a veteran as seasoned as Michael Johnson at UFC Fight Night 175. With four submission wins to his name, the 25-year-old prospect believes he has a clear path to victory against the ‘Menace’, who has been tapped out eight times before in his career.
In an interview with Combate, Moises makes it clear he is not taking Johnson lightly and feels honored by the challenge, but still thinks he will be able to finish the more experienced fighter. Although Thiago does not specify how he will submit Michael, he does believe it will most likely be by some kind of choke hold.
“To be booked against Michael Johnson got me really motivated. He’s a big name in the UFC. He has defeated guys like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson, so I’m happy to fight him. He’s an aggressive fighter, he has fast hands and good boxing, that’s what I have to nullify in his game. He has lots of holes, too, though. His ground game isn’t the best. I’ll beat him by submission with some kind of choke. I think that I could get a top 15 opponent next, if I beat Michael Johnson. For now, I’m just focused on Johnson, who is already a big challenge.”
In his last outing, Moises (12-4) dropped a unanimous decision to Damir Ismagulov, back in August 2019. His sole UFC victory happened just before that, in May of the same year, when bested Kurt Holobaugh by unanimous decision.
Now, Moises is expected to meet Johnson at UFC Fight Night 175, in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 13. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between former title challengers Glover Teixeira and Anthony Smith.