UFC lightweight Michael Johnson felt he had more on the line for him than most realized entering UFC Vegas 54.
Johnson made a triumphant return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 54, earning a second-round knockout of Alan Patrick. The victory snapped a four-fight losing skid and was his first in nearly four years.
Johnson, a veteran of the lightweight division, has competed against most of the top contenders in UFC history. Despite his strength of schedule, some believed it was a ‘do or die’ moment for Johnson and his UFC tenure at UFC Vegas 54.
During his UFC Vegas 54 post-fight press conference, Johnson was asked if he felt his job was on the line ahead of his fight.
“Fuck, I was fighting for my life,” Johnson admitted. “Forget the job. I need to make ends meet. I need to be successful. This is where I get my main paycheck, this is where I take care of myself and I can help my family get through hard times. I definitely needed this, I definitely needed to get back on track, to get a bit of weight off my shoulders.
“I wasn’t going to be satisfied with a decision win, I needed to go out there and put a statement win on to show and prove to everybody and the UFC that I still got it, I’m not going anywhere. I’m 35 and I’m just getting better.”
After getting back in the win column, many of his UFC colleagues praised Johnson for his performance. His last win came against Artem Lobov at a UFC Fight Night event in Oct. 2018.
Johnson had attempted a move to featherweight with little success, and he seems to be back on track at 155lbs. At 35 years old, he has plenty of time to jump back into lightweight contention and could get a big-name opponent for his next fight.
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