Michael
Johnson is still doing Michael
Johnson things, but at the very least, he is coming off one of
his better performances in recent memory. Johnson’s 2013 win over
Joe
Lauzon served as his real breakout. Up to that point, “The
Menace” had been a reliable middle-of-the-road fighter, but the
Lauzon bout was where he suddenly showed off a much more effective
and dynamic striking game that took advantage of his considerable
hand speed. That started a run towards the fringes of title
contention for Johnson, but he hit a clear ceiling once he started
facing off with the lightweight elite. He managed a 95-second
knockout of Dustin
Poirier, but Johnson’s losses were marked by clear mental
issues, as he would all too often get dragged into an uncomfortable
fight that subsequently saw him get finished. The 2018 campaign
served as a bit of a rebound that saw Johnson get a few fights on
his own terms and come out the victor, but a four-fight losing
streak from 2019 through 2021 drove home exactly how much of a
distaste Johnson has developed for grappling. His striking is still
sharp and his takedown defense is still sometimes on point, but
Johnson tends to crumble once an opponent can get him to the mat
and start making some headway. A forgiving matchup in May against
Alan
Patrick allowed Johnson to stop his skid, and while he lost a
controversial split decision to Jamie
Mullarkey in July, it was still a good sign that he managed to
fight back from some tough spots and gut out what was essentially
an even battle against a tough opponent. Win or lose, perhaps he
can drag an entertaining fight out of Diakiese, who has prioritized
success over excitement in his recent fights. Born in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and based out of England, Diakiese
was one of the brightest prospects on the European scene when the
UFC signed him in 2016, as “Bonecrusher” was riding a string of
impressive first-round knockouts. A powerhouse of an athlete,
Diakiese figured to have the physicality to work through the
growing pains he faced at a technical level, but he quickly hit a
plateau during the back half of 2017 and all of 2018. Diakiese
focused on embracing the grind whenever he could not score a
knockout, and he found himself unable to control or outstrike a
certain level of opponent. Diakiese eventually corrected things and
has been up and down in the last few years, though a successful
2022 run thus far has been ugly to watch. Diakiese has gone all in
on an entirely wrestling-centric approach, eschewing his powerful
striking game completely and turning his last two wins into
absolute slogs. Somehow still just 29 years old, Diakiese still has
some considerable potential and could eventually regain his
dynamism, but it would be a surprise if that happened here. Johnson
is a danger on the feet, and while Diakiese has been historically
durable, it is hard to ignore how much potential success he can
have frustrating his latest opponent in a miserable grind. The pick
is Diakiese via decision.
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