Johnson declined Cerrone at UFC 187; now wants 'Cowboy' in 'real' title eliminator

Donald Cerrone

Michael Johnson said he was the first man offered to replace injured Khabib Nurmagomedov against Donald Cerrone at this past weekend’s UFC 187 event. John Makdessi ultimately filled in, but after watching the fight, Johnson said he regrets declining the opportunity.

“I was the first one they called, but unfortunately, timing’s everything, and I couldn’t take it,” Johnson told MMAjunkie Radio. “I was dealing with a little shoulder problem I had to get worked out on, and three weeks of me not really training isn’t enough time to get ready for a fight like ‘Cowboy.'”

Cerrone (28-6 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defeated Makdessi by second-round TKO on this past Saturday’s pay-per-view main card to earn his eighth consecutive victory, the longest active streak in the UFC lightweight division. He delivered a strong performance that ended when “Cowboy” landed a head kick that broke Makdessi’s jaw.

After the fight, Cerrone said he entered the fight with a lingering rib injury. He said his manager and coaches recommended he withdraw from the bout but didn’t give the option any serious consideration.

Although Cerrone fought at less than 100 percent, he got the win and earned the next shot at UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. After witnessing the fight, Johnson (16-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) said he could have capitalized on the situation and taken the title shot from Cerrone.

“Watching him fight, I was like, ‘Sh-t. Maybe I should have just signed it and went in and fought,'” Johnson said. “It is what is it. The title’s not going anywhere, and I’ll be there pretty soon.”

Johnson most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 61 in February, where he earned a unanimous-decision victory over Edson Barboza. Prior to that, Johnson was out of action for nearly a year while UFC officials investigated what they called a “domestic dispute” incident.

“The Menace” has earned four consecutive victories – over Barboza, Melvin Guillard, Gleison Tibau and Joe Lauzon dating back to August 2013. He believes that stretch has earned him a fight against a top contender. He was briefly linked to a July 12 matchup with Benson Henderson, but “Smooth” was unable to make the date due to an undisclosed injury.

Johnson, No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, said he feels his winning streak has put him in striking distance of a title shot. Dos Anjos is sidelined with injury until later this year, and Johnson said if No. 4 Cerrone wants to keep active until then, he certainly wouldn’t pass on the matchup for a second time.

“(If I win my) next fight, then it has to be the title fight; three of the top five guys are hurt, and they’re not going anywhere, so it would have to be me,” Johnson said. “If ‘Cowboy’ didn’t want to wait (for a title shot), I could easily see me and him fighting for a real No. 1 contender fight. But we’ll see what happens.”

For complete coverage of UFC 187, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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