Latest news with #Zellhuber
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC 318 results: Michael Johnson upsets Daniel Zellhuber as big underdog on card
LEFT HAND SITS HIM DOWN 😮💨[ #UFC318 | @Menace155 ] Michael Johnson's still got it after all these years. A big underdog on UFC 318, Johnson (24-19 MMA, 16-14 UFC) swept the scorecards for the upset unanimous decision win over Daniel Zellhuber. The lightweight bout kicked off Saturday's main card at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Johnson was a +425 underdog according to BetMGM. Johnson relied on his signature boxing abilities and veteran savvy to frustrate and confuse Zellhuber (15-3 MMA< 3-3 UFC), who vocalized his surprise between rounds at the speed that was coming at him. Johnson's biggest moment came in Round 2 as he dropped Zellhuber with his signature left hand. Zellhuber clutched on to weather the attack and he survived. Zellhuber's strongest round was the third, which he won on all three judges' scorecards. However, it was too little too late, as Johnson swept the first two. Johnson, 39, has won three fights in a row and four of his most recent five. Zellhuber has now lost in back-to-back appearances after his Fight of the Year candidate loss to Esteban Ribovics. Up-to-the-minute UFC 318 results include:
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber prediction, pick, start time for UFC 318
Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 4-2 UFC main cards, 2025: 68-50-1 Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 preview Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) has been around the UFC since Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2010. In this fight, he'll look to stay above .500 for his UFC run, while extending his winning streak to three. "The Menace" enters on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Darrius Flowers and a knockout of Ottman Azaitar. ... Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will aim to rebound from a tough split decision loss against Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306. The result snapped a three-fight streak that included wins over Lando Vannata, Christos Giagos and Francisco Prado. Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 expert pick, prediction Kicking off the paid portion of the card is a crossroads fight at lightweight between the UFC veteran Michael Johnson and the up-and-coming Daniel Zellhuber. Although I can appreciate the matchmakers sticking to Joe Silva's tried and true method of booking lightweight main-card openers, this fight could end up being more tepid than some suspect with Johnson being the first notable southpaw of Zellhuber's career. Despite both fighters often finding themselves in exciting fights, I'm curious how the open-stance nature of the matchup will affect Zellhuber's reliance on his jab. Luckily for Zellhuber, he appears to be a fairly dynamic striker and works under Xtreme Couture MMA's Eric Nicksick – who I suspect will have the Mexican fighter well-prepared for this weekend. Johnson used to be one of my favorite underdogs to wager on back in the day, but it's become harder and harder to back the original "Blackzilian" in recent years due to his propensity to fall apart down the stretch. The pick is Zellhuber by unanimous decision. Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 odds The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Zellhuber -650 and Johnson +475 via FanDuel. Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 start time, how to watch As the main card opener, Johnson and Zellhuber are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Michael Johnson blasts Daniel Zellhuber for 'scumbag' way of getting UFC 318 fight
NEW ORLEANS – Michael Johnson doesn't appreciate the way Daniel Zellhuber called him out. 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."
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Daniel Zellhuber sees Michael Johnson as a 'stepping stone,' promises KO at UFC 318
Daniel Zellhuber expects a big win at UFC 318. Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 3, rightfully so, has drawn most of the attention of the MMA community heading into Saturday's UFC 318, given it's the main event and Poirier's farewell from the sport. But down below, in the opening bout of the UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) pay-per-view card, there's another lightweight matchup that's heating up. Mexican prospect Daniel Zellhuber takes on one of the three men to ever knock out Poirier, UFC veteran Michael Johnson. This matchup wasn't just a fun booking from the UFC matchmakers, it was a fight Zellhuber picked himself. "I began to bother Michael Johnson, making fun of him here and there, calling him old, and it worked," Zellhuber told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "I got his attention. He blocked me on Instagram, which I thought was very funny. After he blocked me on Instagram, it got even funnier." After taking some online shots from Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) confronted "Golden Boy" while he was working the Spanish broadcast for UFC Fight Night 256 in May. The two traded verbal jabs, and then Johnson went his own way. "That day on the broadcast, he came up to me. I had been bothering him, and looking for that fight before I got injured for Mexico," Zellhuber said. "He didn't want to fight with me. He kept turning it down, turning down, and turning it down, like throwing a tantrum. He has like 30 years in this game and can't take a joke online. That's wild. "He blocked me on Instagram, threw a fit, and finally that day he thought it was a good idea to confront me. That day I was working, so it's not like I could do anything. We had words for each other, nothing that crossed any lines. I'd never take things too far. So we had a few words and a few weeks later, I got the word I was fighting him. I think he still has me blocked on Instagram." Zellhuber really likes the matchup against Johnson, hence the callout. He's happy the fight was able to come together for UFC 318 and sees Johnson as a step towards his ultimate goal – the UFC lightweight title. "I've prepared very well, and we did an extensive study of all his fights," Zellhuber said. "I've noticed he hasn't really improved, and I mean, why would he? He's 40 years old. He's in the UFC because he goes out there, fights hard, gives somewhat of a show, and he serves as a stepping stone for young fighters like myself. In the end, that's what this is. He's just one more step in my career." As far as the fight itself, Zellhuber doesn't expect a war like the one he was in last September against Esteban Ribovics, which won MMA Junkie's Fight of the Year. He believes he will put away Johnson. "He needs to make the most out of this opportunity because after I knock him out on Saturday, he's not going to get another call to fight on a pay-per-view."
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Zellhuber has 'mixed feelings' about 2024 Fight of the Year vs. Esteban Ribovics
There are thousands of MMA fights a year, but only one can win the Fight of the Year award. Yet, despite the praise and honor, Daniel Zellhuber is not fully content with that achievement. Zellhuber won MMA Junkie's 2024 Fight of the Year – and won it across many other publications, too – for his war against Argentina's Esteban Ribovics in the main card of last year's Noche UFC (UFC 306) at the Sphere in Las Vegas. It was 15 minutes of non-stop striking, with both fighters badly rocking each other multiple times throughout the fight. In the end, Ribovics ended up winning a split decision. The two lightweight prospects took a $50,000 bonus each for Fight of the Night. "It's a bag of mixed feelings," Zellhuber told Hablemos MMA in Spanish, reflecting on his award ahead of his return. "In a way, of course, I'm happy and proud – up to a certain point – to be able to say at just 25 years old, I already have a Fight of the Year and under the best promotion in MMA. It's crazy to think that Esteban and I, out of all 700 and something fights that were in 2024, we were the best. Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) makes his first appearance since the war against Ribovics this Saturday at UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. He takes on veteran Michael Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) in the main card opener. The other side of that "bag of mixed feelings" for his 2024 Fight of the Year is obviously the fact that he fell short and saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end. The 25-year-old doesn't think he fought to his full capabilities, and that eats at him to this day. "However, then comes the competitive part," Zellhuber said. "I know I had a mediocre performance. I know I didn't do what I'm capable of doing due to a million excuses I could explain to you here, which I won't do because that's not who I am or the values that I have. I know I could've done it better. My intention now is to go out there this Saturday and knock out Michael Johnson like I know I can, and then look for that rematch at some point. Or, if not, I'd like to fight Nasrat Haqparast, who recently beat Esteban in another great fight. And yeah, just keep growing. "I've turned the page. I've learned from my mistakes. It's weird. I feel like any other fighter would be OK with what you just said. Yes, I have a Fight of the Year in UFC, and many people in the UFC have even told me that that fight could one day enter the UFC Hall of Fame because of what it represented, being in Noche UFC, the Sphere, and even with all that, I'm not happy. And that's because I lost. It's like a consolation prize. That's not how I work. All I can do now is get back in the win column with this fight and continue to grow."
