Preview: UFC Fight Night 223 ‘Dern vs. Hill’

Lightweights

Diego Ferreira (17-5, 8-5 UFC) vs. Michael Johnson (21-18, 13-14 UFC)

ODDS: Ferreira (-155), Johnson (+135)

Is Johnson somehow turning back the clock? A UFC roster member since 2010, “The Menace” has been one of the most frustrating talents in the sport during that time. After a slow start to his UFC career, Johnson’s breakout came in 2013 against Joe Lauzon—the first victory in a four-fight winning streak that saw him develop a dynamic striking game that took advantage of his considerable athleticism and speed. After losing a controversial decision to Beneil Dariush, “The Menace” dropped a second straight fight to Nate Diaz, which started a rough run more notable for Johnson’s mental issues than anything else. Even during that point, Johnson was electric enough to score a flash knockout of Dustin Poirier and put a scare into Khabib Nurmagomedov, but more often than not, he would either be lured into a losing brawl or simply implode against any opponent able to get him to the ground. After a 2021 loss to Clay Guida marked Johnson’s ninth defeat in 12 fights, it was a bit of a shock that he was still in the promotion once 2022 rolled around; it was even more of a surprise when that year turned into a bit of a career renaissance. A win over Alan Patrick was a forgiving bounce-back, but Johnson held his own in a three-round war against Jamie Mullarkey that could have gone either way, then outpaced and outworked a flat Marc Diakiese in his third straight strong performance. It is unlikely Johnson can entirely regain his past glory, but he is still somehow just 36 years old, leaving the door open for a bit of a late-career run if he can get past Ferreira.

Ferreira’s 2020 win over Anthony Pettis looked like a breakthrough for the long-underrated Brazilian. He had toiled for a while against a tough level of opposition until a matchup against the beatable but still well-regarded Pettis essentially fell into his lap—an opportunity that Ferreira took advantage of with a dominant victory. However, the wheels have fallen off from there, to the point that Ferreira is looking for his first victory in the three and a half years since. Ferreira has gotten by on playing his powerful striking and slick grappling off each other, trying to funnel his opponent’s aggression into the worse option and then riding things out from there. As Ferreira has entered his late 30s, though, he seems to be the one breaking first. Dariush simply proved to be the better grappler in a loss that has aged well in the years since, but Ferreira looked flat and tired out in a high-paced fight against Gregor Gillespie, then saw his body give out in an injury stoppage loss to Mateusz Gamrot. Ferreira looked to be in better form against Gamrot at the very least, but after an injury-racked 2022 that saw him fail to make it to the cage, there are some worries as to how the Fortis MMA rep will show up here. Even a scuffling Johnson—not to mention the current iteration—would be able to take advantage of a diminished Ferreira, as the American could probably score a knockout until things turned against him. That also runs the other way. If Ferreira shows up anywhere closer to his old form, he is a much more nightmarish matchup than anyone Johnson faced in 2022 and should be able to force “The Ultimate Fighter 12” runner-up back into his old ways. This fight basically comes down to how Ferreira looks at this point in his career after a layoff, which is a complete question mark. Nevertheless, he gets the benefit of the doubt. The pick is Ferreira via second-round submission.

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Dern vs. Hill
Hernandez vs. Shahbazyan
Godinez vs. Ducote
Buckley vs. Fialho
Ferreira vs. Johnson
Borshchev vs. Hayisaer
The Prelims