After picking up a huge first-round knockout win over Dustin Poirier last night (Sat., Sept. 17, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, Texas (see it again here), Michael Johnson wants bigger and better challenges.
Above all else, “The Menace” wants bigger paychecks, as in Conor McGegor, Nate Diaz type money.
Speaking to the UFC on Fox crew after his win, Johnson said he is willing and ready to take on all comers, but he definitely wants to cash in on the salary increases that have gone on lately. And since WME-IMG — the new UFC owners — are all about handing out the big bucks, Michael wants in on it.
“Yeah, Anthony Pettis, Khabib if he’s not fighting for the title. Like I said, I want the best of the best in this division and I want the guys at the top. I want big money right now, man. Like I said in the post-fight, Diaz and McGregor made serious dough and I’m trying to put my name on that money and get paid.”
While you can’t blame Johnson for wanting more cash, UFC is still very much a “what can you do for us” business. Which means if Johnson wants to get paid, he needs to start bringing in the company some cash, much like Diaz and McGregor have done with their record-breaking UFC 196 and UFC 202 pay-per-view (PPV) events.
Sure, Johnson had a hell of a performance, but as we’ve seen in the past, there needs to be more of that on a consistent basis and/or he needs to start selling fights much like Diaz and Conor do. They are not the rule, they are the exception.
Yes, salaries are increasing, but to get to the Conor and Diaz level, a lot of work needs to be done outside of the cage, more so than inside. It’s just the way the UFC business works these days. That said, anyone think Johnson can be the next to break a seven figure salary?
For complete UFC Fight Night 94 results and analysis click here.