From the outset, “Inner G” was the better of the two men, flashing crisp boxing and excellent timing as he picked apart and eventually put away Kavanagh, which earned him a Performance Bonus.
“Everything I felt leading up to that from watching his fights, doing film study, I was like, ‘He may have moments, but when we settle in and it’s time to fight, I’m gonna shine,” he said. “It may take three minutes, five minutes, seven minutes, but when the fight takes place, I know what I’m gonna do… My goal was to enjoy every aspect of that trip to Shanghai — I had never been to China — and embrace those fans and every part of this journey.
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“I’m so thankful for the Shanghai fight because he was being touted as one of the best prospects in all of MMA. He was being touted as this next whatever they wanted to crown him to be, and it was another opportunity for me to shut everybody the f*** up again! I’ve always had this chip on my shoulder from when I was a kid of having to prove myself to people and I’m happy for having to do that in the UFC until now because I’m gonna carry that with me the rest of my career.”
Since arriving on the biggest stage in the sport in 2022, Johnson has always been a little prickly when it comes to his place in the division, the way he’s perceived, and the opportunities he’s been given. Those things have been in constant opposition to the way he sees himself, the heights he believes he’s capable of reaching, and the type of matchups he’s chasing.