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Michael Johnson Admits He Was “Frozen” By The Thoughts Of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Wrestling

Michael Johnson Admits He Was “Frozen” By The Thoughts Of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Wrestling

Michael Johnson has had the unique and grueling experience of facing Khabib Nurmagomedov in the octagon, a fight that took place at UFC 205 in November 2016.

The fight, which ended with Khabib submitting Johnson in the third round, was an uphill battle for Johnson from the start – he had accepted the fight on just two weeks’ notice, adding to the already monumental challenge of facing the undefeated lightweight.

Fans of the fight will recall one of its most intense moments: during the bout, Khabib was heard telling Johnson to give up, insisting that he needed to focus on earning a title shot.
And, well, Johnson’s response in the heat of the moment was nothing short of defiant:

I was like, “F*ck you!”
I hit him with a backhand like, “I’m still in it. I can’t move, but I’m in it.”

I wasn’t going to f*cking give up.
He’s good.

Johnson acknowledged that his game plan going into the fight had been flawed, as he had focused too heavily on Nurmagomedov’s grappling skills:

I went into that fight, his wrestling is all I thought about. His wrestling, his wrestling, his wrestling.
So, I wasn’t thinking about myself, and that was the mistake.

I just went in there kind of waiting for him to shoot, trying to find my motions.

I was kind of crouched down, and I couldn’t really move around.

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