UFC 222's Jordan Johnson won? He didn't sound like it afterward

LAS VEGAS – If you hadn’t seen Jordan Johnson’s fight at UFC 222 and then walked backstage, you might’ve thought he lost.

So disappointed was Johnson with his performance, it cast a pall over an occasion that’s usually celebrated by most fighters – close call or not.

Not much could cheer up Johnson, especially when it came to a split-decision win over Adam Milstead that brought his third straight UFC win and extended his unbeaten streak to nine fights. Even with a victory, Johnson had a hard time accepting the fact that he went to the scorecards, and only two of three judges gave him a winning score.

“I can finish that dude,” Johnson told reporters backstage on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Nine out of 10 times, and that was that one time I didn’t finish him. It should be.”

Of course, it’s not the first time he’s found fault with his performance. Whatever ends up happening in a fight, he seems to be unsatisfied with what he brings to the table, and he resolves to correct it for the next time out.

“I think the interview last time was pretty similar to this,” he said. “I’ve just got to do a lot better. I’m a lot better than that. The (expletive)-talk is done. Me and Adam went back and forth, but the truth is, I’m a lot better than him. There’s no comparison with me and him.

“There should never be a split decision. That was a unanimous decision. (Expletive), I’ll go watch it. Maybe I’m wrong. But that should have been a finish.”

Johnson did manage to crack a smile when his nickname came up. The UFC initially scratched the one he gave them – “Big Swinging” – before giving it back for this fight.

“I guess the UFC decided to bring ‘Big Swinging’ Johnson back,” he said.

So things aren’t all that bad. And hey, Johnson has his third straight UFC win. Apparently, this is just the way he processes his time in the octagon – with a list of criticism and a resolution to improve.

For complete coverage of UFC 222, check out the UFC Events section of the site.