Michael Johnson blasts Daniel Zellhuber for 'scumbag' way of getting UFC 318 fight
Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) posted a video on Instagram of Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) getting knocked out by Josh Emmett and Diego Ferreira, suggesting that he'd suffer the same fate if they fought.
A post shared by Daniel "Golden Boy" Zellhuber (@daniel_zellhuber)
Zellhuber wound up getting his wish as the pair are matched up in Saturday's UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card opener at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
"I always look for knockouts, but I'm going in here to win," Johnson said at the UFC 318 media day on Wednesday. "With him in here talking sh*t, he's a little too cocky, he's a little too confident. He's young. I get it. These guys are young and they run their mouth.
"Even the way he got this fight was kind of a scumbag way. He wants to post me getting knocked out on his Instagram and talk so much trash. He's just fueling my fire. He's just putting a lot of pressure on himself, and he's going to learn the hard way."
Still on a quest for gold at 39, Johnson plans on proving too experienced for Zellhuber.
"He's a tough kid. He's definitely got some skill. But I think they're pushing him a little too fast, too quick," Johnson said. "I'm still chasing this world title. I'm going to track a world title at my age. I'm going to do something incredible. In order for me to get to the title, I have to do something incredible. I have to do something that hasn't been done before, and I'm willing to do that."
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