UFC Fight Night 96's Will Brooks targets Michael Johnson for 'disrespectful' actions vs. Dustin Poirier

Lightweight Will Brooks is making his second octagon appearance at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 96, but he’s already got his next opponent in his sights.

Brooks (19-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who faces Alex Oliveira (15-3-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in the event’s FS1-televised co-headliner at Moda Center in Portland, Ore., called for a fight with the surging Michael Johnson (17-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in his next outing.

“I’ve said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it again right now: I will be looking for Michael Johnson after this fight,” Brooks told MMAjunkie. “One, because of how disrespectful he is. Two, because I don’t think he’s as good as he thinks he is. I think he caught a lucky knockout on my teammate, Dustin Poirier.”

Earlier this month, Johnson faced off with Poirier (20-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 94 in a match that got heated before and after the bell. After knocking out Poirier with a combination, Johnson stood over his opponent and cursed him while gesturing aggressively.

Johnson later apologized for his behavior, and then seemed to backpedal from his apology in a subsequent interview with MMAjunkie Radio.

Brooks isn’t buying any of that, however.

“I know he apologized, but for me, when you do something like that, you’re showing your true character,” he said. “When he apologized, I felt like, man, you’re only apologizing because you’re catching backlash because of it, so you’re trying to put out the fire. That upset me.”

Brooks, the No. 10 ranked lightweight in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is a teammate and friend of the No. 13-ranked Poirier at the famed American Top Team in Florida, and Johnson’s longtime team – the Blackzilians – share a well-documented rivalry with ATT. So the matchup is more than a little personal.

Although Johnson is No. 12 in the USA TODAY/MMAjunkie rankings, he is No. 6 in the UFC’s official rankings, making him a good career move for Brooks.

“If they give me that fight, if they don’t give me that fight, I will continue to fight for that fight,” he said. “I will continue to chase that fight if they don’t give it to me. It’s something that’s on my list of things to do. And a guy like me … when I set my mind on something, and when I’m determined to get something done, I do it.

“People can expect me to be very determined to accomplish that goal so I can put my hands on this dude, so he can understand at all times, you need to carry yourself with a professionalism and be humble in victory or defeat. I’ll do that by putting him down and letting him watch the way I carry myself. I’ll be a great example for him.”

First, of course, Brooks needs to make an example out of Oliveira, who’s returning to the lightweight division after a 4-1 run at welterweight.

For more on UFC Fight Night 96, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.