Michael Johnson scored the biggest victory of his career as he upset Joe Lauzon on the opening bout of the UFC Fight Night 26 main card.
In the opening round, Johnson was able to use his striking to dominate Lauzon and dropped his opponent on multiple occasions in the round. Lauzon was able to scramble to remain in the fight.
Towards the end of the round, referee Yves Lavigne separated the fighters and Johnson tried to rush in before Lavigne was ready to have the fight restarted. After the round ended, Lavigne warned Johnson to follow his instructions going forward.
Johnson would be able to continue his success in the second round with his strikes and not allow Lauzon to take the fight to the ground. He continued to score with his striking and secured the round with a takedown in the final thirty seconds of the round.
In the final round, Lauzon knew that he would need to do something to secure a win but he was unable to mount much offense. He could not get the fight to the ground and Johnson was able to land a takedown at the end of the fight.
All three judges scored the fight for Johnson (13-8) who snapped a two fight losing streak and Lauzon (22-9) has lost back to back fights for the first time in his career.
UFC Fight Night 26 Results:
Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:43
Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Steven Siler def. Mike Brown via KO (strikes) – Round 1, :50
Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Manny Gamburyan def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ovince St-Preux def. Cody Donovan via KO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:07
James Vick def. Ramsey Nijem via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, :58