Michael Johnson rose to prominence competing on the 12th edition of “The Ultimate Fighter” where he was a finalist and 2nd overall pick. Known for his natural athleticism, Johnson is a former high school track and football star blessed with a very strong set of natural tools to work with.

Johnson does have a year of collegiate wrestling experience at the NJCAA level under his belt (St. Louis Community College-Meramac), and naturally is a strong wrestler. He possesses good takedowns, a solid sprawl, and is particularly impressive at transitioning from his striking to his takedowns. Johnson works well from the top where he works his ground and pound and control game. While his wrestling has shown promise, Johnson’s grappling game is not without its weaknesses. He will really need to focus on his BJJ and submission abilities – especially from his guard. Johnson is extremely vulnerable fighting from the bottom and his overall submissions awareness and jiu jitsu capabilities are a major work in progress.

Johnson is an aggressive, strong starter who makes a point to go after his opponent from the start. He’s a smooth striker who puts together good combinations, and has shown superb hand speed. Standing southpaw, Johnson has an excellent left hand and a very quick superman punch. Smooth on his feet, Johnson puts together good combinations and changes levels well. He displays good agility in getting in and out of range quickly, and throws knees rapidly from in close. Johnson doesn’t hesitate in “pulling the trigger” and his overall standup game is developing at an extremely promising rate. Going forward, Johnson will need to focus on his conditioning. Although he’s proven to be a durable fighter who doesn’t give in, physically Johnson does slow exponentially as the bout wears on.