Home

UFC

Michael Johnson Losses: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz and Every Other Defeat in the UFC Lightweight’s Career

Published 02/10/2024, 9:01 AM EST

Follow Us

UFC lightweight veteran Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson is gearing up to take on UFC newcomer, Darrius ‘Beast Mode’ Flowers at UFC Fight Night 236. Johnson has been around the UFC octagon for over a decade now. During that time, he faced some of the best the business had to offer.

‘The Menace’ started his UFC journey all the way back in 2010, in The Ultimate Fighter season 12. Throughout his long tenure in the UFC, Michael Johnson has fought some of the best fighters in the world and even beat some of them. However, he also amassed a large number of losses with 19 losses in his career, with 15 of them coming in the UFC. Here are some big names the lightweight veteran has lost to in his career.

Michael Johnson’s UFC losses including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The UFC lightweight has over 41 professional fights in his career. 29 of those fights were in the UFC alone. His UFC record stands at 14-15. He has wins over elite fighters such as Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, and others. However, he also holds 15 losses, which include the losses against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz, and others.

His loss against Nate Diaz came in December 2015 at UFC on Fox 17. Diaz, in typical Diaz fashion, beat Michael Johnson using his immense pressure. Though the start of the fight was competitive, Diaz slowly started to pull away as the rounds went by, landing 153 significant strikes to Johnson’s 103.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Johnson’s loss against the former undefeated lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, came similarly at UFC 205 in 2016, as the Russian managed to totally dominate Johnson in the grappling department, before getting a win by submission in the 3rd round. Nurmagomedov dominated Johnson in every aspect of the fight, landing 94 significant strikes to Johnson’s 19. In 2017, Johnson would also go on to lose against Justin Gaethje who was making his debut in the UFC.

Those are just some of the big names Johnson has lost to in his 19 losses in his professional MMA career. So who are the others he has lost to?

All the fighters that ‘The Menace’ have lost to

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Before joining the UFC, Michael “The Menace” Johnson had four losses on his record. His losses came against, Ted Worthington (SUB), James Krause (SUB), Joe Bramer (SUB), and Eric Marriot (SUB). He would go on to win 4 straight to get a chance to fight at The Ultimate Fighter 12.

Johnson, after joining the UFC, lost another 15 times, bringing his total losses to 19. His losses in the UFC came against, Jonathan Brookins (UD), Paul Sass (SUB), Myles Jury (UD), Reza Madadi (SUB), Beneil Dariush (SD), Nate Diaz (UD), Khabib Nurmagomedov (SUB), Justin Gaethje (TKO), Darren Elkins (SUB), Josh Emmet (KO), Stevie Ray (MD), Thiago Moises (SUB), Clay Guida (UD), Jamie Mullarkey (SD) and his most recent against Diego Ferreira (KO).

Watch This Story: Conor McGregor Receives His Main Event as Ilia Topuria Demands UFC Spain After Michael Chandler Fight

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Michael Johnson is coming off of a loss, going up against Darrius Flowers this weekend. Will he be able to get another win on his record? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 300? Irishman’s Braggy Statement on Rival Attracts Rematch Demands

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Imtikokba Jamir

504Articles

One take at a time

As someone who's spent his childhood experiencing combat sports firsthand, I have always been in awe of the action in the cage. Post a Degree with Honors in Literature, I quickly realised my penmanship needed some gloves. So here I am , Imtikokba Jamir, a pro writer for UFC at EssentiallySports.
Show More>

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen