At 38 Years Old, Michael Johnson Believes He Might Be 'Peaking' in UFC Career

UFC Tampa was, at least in part, a showcase for the old guys.

While 41-year-old Cub Swanson’s knockout of Billy Quarantillo in the co-main event deservedly garnered the lion’s share of the attention, 38-year-old Michael Johnson had a spectacular finish of his own, scoring a vicious KO of Ottman Azaitar on the evening’s uncard at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.

Johnson, who was a finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 12” in 2010, never envisioned his career lasting as long as it has.

“I did not think I would be fighting til I was 38,” he said at the UFC Tampa post-fight press conference (video via MMAjunkie.com). “My plan was to get in the UFC, fight the best guys, win, get a title, be financially able to retire around 30….so eight years past that, and I’m still going. It feels great. I have no problem with missing my first goal. Now I’m on to my second goal and that’s what keeps me motivated.”

While Johnson hasn’t seriously approached championship contention, he has compiled a resume with a number of noteworthy moments, including triumphs over the likes of Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson, Joe Lauzon and Melvin Guillard, to name a few. He’s also squared off against many of the sport’s other luminaries — names like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Nate Diaz — during his tenure. At this point, “The Menace” senses a growing appreciation from the MMA fanbase.

“You see the fans change as the times go on It’s like different kind of movements, and you don’t really know what you’re going to get,” he said. “So 15 years in, the fans are still enjoying watching me fight, and it just motivates me more to keep going and keep getting in here and fighting to the best of my ability and continue to get better every day.

“That’s what’s next for me – to get back into the gym, to work on things that I need to work on improving. My wrestling can get touched up. My jiu-jitsu can always get touched up. My striking can always get touched up. I just want to improve every day. I’m all about growth right now.”

After a 2-0 campaign in 2024, Johnson is optimistic about the years to come — and he isn’t assigning an expiration date to his fighting career.

“I think Nate Diaz said it the best, and he’s turned into a good friend. He was an opponent of mine. We always keep in touch, but he made a comment that said, ‘Sh*t, I’ll fight till I’m 50. Just getting started.’ So that’s what it is,” Johnson said.

“I’m just getting started. This might be my peak. A lot of people peak at 25, 30 [years old]. I might be one peaking at 38, 40.”