In the preview vignette ahead of Contender Series appearance, Johnson talked about his grandmother being one of his best coaches and how her grandmother was the first in the family to be out in the streets throwing hands, doing what she needed to do in order to keep her family fed. That mentality has been passed down through the generations and took root with Johnson, who quickly decided that punching other individuals inside the Octagon was a much more enjoyable career pursuit for him than punching a clock.
“What I meant by ‘I can’t settle for that’ is that I know God had brought me here for bigger things,” began Johnson when asked to expand on a statement he made about being unable to settle for a 9-5 lifestyle during his post-fight media session in August. “Being a follower of Christ, being a man of God, it’s up to us to reach out full potential and really express —we’re all gifted with something; God didn’t just bring us here to work for other people, work at something 9-5.
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“There are things deeper inside of us that God has gifted us with, and for me, I realized that fighting was it. I realized at a young age that athletics were it — I played football, played college football, I wrestled — and these were things that I really loved and that I picked up on really fast. Once I got a taste of it and I saw glimpses of what I could make of it, I was like, ‘I gotta go all-in!’
“I was tired of waking up and clocking in, and it’s not that I have a problem with it — I love working, and (it’s not a knock on anybody that) loves that,” continued Johnson, who listed off a string of hands-on, labor-intense stops he’d made before opting to put his powerful hands to better use. “There are people that love waking up, drinking their coffee, going to work, coming home, seeing their children, and there is nothing wrong with that at all, it’s just not for me.
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