This past Saturday on the main card of UFC Vegas 73, we saw a lightweight contest between two tough veterans. Diego Ferreira (18-5) was looking to get back on track as he took on the always game Michael Johnson (21-19).
If you think of the best of the best in terms of UFC lightweights, odds are that they’d shared the cage with Michael Johnson at some point. He’s been in there with everyone under the sun and he’s always going to be a tough fight. Diego Ferreira experienced that for the first six minutes of the fight on Saturday night.
Ferreira entered the bout having lost three fights in a row. Diego Ferreira was undefeated back in 2014 when he lost back-to-back fights against Beneil Dariush and Dustin Poirier. He then won six fights in a row getting him into contention. However, that’s when he lost three straight.
Granted, he didn’t lose to bad competition. His losses were against Dariush again, Gregor Gillespie, and Mateusz Gamrot. Michael Johnson was still a tough matchup for him despite Johnson’s up and down history inside the octagon.
For the first six minutes of the fight, Ferreira struggled. Johnson’s speed was too much for him and he was getting countered. With no takedown success, it looked like a tough night at the office for Ferreira at UFC Vegas 73. However, out of no where, he uncorked a right hand that knocked Johnson out cold in scary fashion.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 73?
Really cannot emphasize enough how big of a win this was for Diego Ferreira. It seriously looked like he was heading to his fourth straight loss before that devastating knockout finish. Now, the tables are turned and he’s back on the winning path.
So, with this latest win, who should the UFC pair him up with? I don’t think this win should get him back in there against someone with a number by his name. But, I do think he should get someone that is near the rankings. Someone who you could imagine would be in the 16-20 range if they had that.
I think a fight against someone like Thiago Moises makes a lot of sense for Ferreira. Moises is just outside the top fifteen and he’s won back-to-back fights himself. Pairing these two would be a good test for both and the winner would be ready to jump in there against someone that does have a ranking by their name.
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