WILMINGTON, Del. – Josh Emmett is the fourth opponent Michael Johnson has faced that trains at Team Alpha Male.
They’re not all the same, of course. But Johnson sees a trend in the game plans used to beat him.
“I’ve got a long history with their team, and I’m sure he’s going to be the last one after Saturday,” Johnson (19-13 MMA, 11-9 UFC) told MMA Junkie in advance of his meeting with Emmett (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place Saturday at Wells Fargo Center and streams on ESPN+. “I do know that fighting their gym, their game plan is probably not going to change much. Their coaches are always sticking to the same game plan. I know that they know me very well.”
So far, Johnson is 2-1 against fighters from the gym, defeating Danny Castillo and Andre Fili while dropping a submission to Darren Elkins. If he wants any more team experience, there there are a few possible options at featherweight – two-time title challenger Chad Mendes, and if he ends his retirement, Urijah Faber.
“Maybe I’ll get (Mendes) next,” Johnson said. “We’ll see. I guess it won’t be over then.”
At 145 pounds, Johnson is feeling better than ever, so he welcomes a few more guys to pick off. Mendes or Faber wouldn’t be bad names to add to his resume if he’s headed for a title shot.
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