The Florida-based lightweight veteran has been a mainstay in the UFC for more than a decade and a half, and there isn’t too much that surprises him these days as he continues to take everything – good and bad – in his stride.
“Yeah, another fight week, 16 years and running,” he began as he sat down for his latest pre-fight interview with UFC.com. “It’s the same to me. Everything is just another week, another day. It’s just something that I do, something that I’ve dedicated my life to, and I enjoy it still.”
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For a fighter who has shared the Octagon with a who’s who of lightweight legends – including the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Nate Diaz – Johnson has learned plenty during his UFC career. But the biggest takeaway from his rollercoaster career is something that every fighter, from seasoned vets to fighters making their pro debut, could take on board.
“Don’t hold on to anything too much,” he said. “Don’t hold on to the wins as much. Don’t hold on to the losses as much. Just continue to go with the flow and just enjoy the ride in the process. Like I say, just don’t hold on to anything.
“I would get too high on my highs and celebrate the wins a little too much. Or you would get too low on the lows and just sit there and dwell about a loss and just let it eat at you day-in, day-out. Over these 16 years, I’ve learned to just say, ‘Hey, it is what it is.’ Just tie your shoes up and get back to work – after a win, after a loss, same thing.”
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It’s smart advice from a seasoned veteran of the game, who has seen firsthand the explosion in the UFC’s popularity over the years, though he has been less impressed with some of the talent he’s seen starting to get involved in the sport.
“It’s incredible to see what the UFC has done, how much the sport has grown as a whole, and just seeing the different talent that comes in, day in, day out, it’s extremely exciting to see,” he said.
“One thing about these new guys nowadays is they’re tough and skilled, but they can’t fight,” he said. “There’s a bunch of just TikTok creators and social media people, and they get one big fight, and now they just think they’re big shots, you know? So that’s one thing I’ve noticed. But I enjoy where the sport’s going, and I’m excited for the future.”
Johnson was originally set to feature on the first fight card of 2026, but his scheduled bout with Alexander Hernandez was pulled from the fight card at the last minute, leaving Johnson frustrated at not being able to make his training camp pay off.
“Yeah, it was a lot of emotions, going back in January, for me to just get a fight snatched away from me after I put in so much dedication and sacrifice and time over those months of training camp,” he recalled.
“But then it’s incredible to see Hunter (Campbell) and Dana (White) give me another shot right away to kind of clear me out of all the nonsense that’s going on.”
That swift action from the UFC brass saw Johnson booked to face Dober this weekend at UFC 326. It’s a matchup that has plenty of longtime fans suggesting could produce the Fight of the Night. But Johnson has other plans.
“I love seeing this fight with Drew Dober. He’s always exciting. He’s a guy that always brings the fight to you, so I don’t have to worry about finding him to get this fight going. So, I’m excited for that,” he said.
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“Fight of the Night? I don’t know about that. That means I got beat up a little bit, as well. So we’re gonna go for Performance of the Night. That’s what it is.
“I’ve still got a huge chip on my shoulder when I go into this cage. I’m still not where I want to be. I see a lot of people getting bigger spotlights or getting a little bit more money, and I’ve just been dedicated for so long. So I’m still backed in a corner. I’m still going to go out here, and I’m still on track to my dream of being a world champion.
“I’ve talked to Drew on several occasions at fights. We’ve always had a cordial interaction with each other and got along. So no turmoil or bad blood there – it’s just another colleague in the UFC that I’ve got to fight against.
“He’s a good guy, but he’s my competition right now, and I don’t have any friends under the UFC umbrella. We’re all competition. I just can’t sit there, smile on my face and be happy with you, and then go into the fight. It’s nothing personal, but I’m here to win.”
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At 39 years of age, Johnson is in as good, if not better, shape than he was when he first burst onto the UFC scene via Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2010. There aren’t too many fighters on the roster who can match him for longevity, though he admitted he hasn’t had an elixir of life that has kept him at the sport’s biggest stage for so long.
“I wish I knew the secret formula,” he smiled. “I just stay to myself, you know? I got a good relationship with the man upstairs, good relationship with my family, good relationship with my friends, everybody’s family.
“I got a lot of motivation, a lot of support from the outside coming in. So those guys keep me going, and other thing that keeps me going is I’m not satisfied, you know? I’m not comfortable until I get to that level. That’s when it’ll be enough. But until then, it’s nowhere close.”
Johnson still harbors dreams of holding a UFC belt one day and sees the BMF title as a possible route to achieve his dream. Victory over Dober on Saturday night would extend his win streak to four, and he plans on using that momentum to push for an opportunity to cap his career with a championship.
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“I want to get done with this fight with Drew Dober, and then I want to move on to top 10, top 15,” he stated.
“I’m on the fast track to getting back to the top, because that’s where I feel like I belong.
“If (Max Holloway) gets past (Charles) Oliveira, which I think he will, I definitely see me and Max fighting for this title. He said everybody’s welcome to challenge him for it. So we’ll see how he really feels about that if we both get these wins Saturday.”
To put himself in a position to have those sorts of conversations, Johnson knows he has to get the job done against fellow vet Dober on Saturday night. And while he is clearly laser-focused on getting the W, he admitted that he wasn’t fully sure how the fight will end.
“It’s going to be one hell of a fight,” he said. “I don’t know how it plays out. We’ll see Saturday night.”
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