Colby Covington’s favorite fighter wins $50,000 bonus after replicating famous Dustin Poirier KO at UFC Tampa

On By Littum

Michael Johnson showed he still packs a punch at UFC Tampa.

‘The Menace’ has suffered losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje that suggest he was never going to be a top lightweight in the UFC.

But his 42-fight resume is also littered with high-profile wins over Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier, whom he knocked out cold in September 2016.

Michael Johnson’s ability to beat anyone on his day has made him a fan favorite and Colby Covington headlined the event they both fought on Saturday night.

Michael Johnson knocks out Ottman Azaitar of Morocco in a lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in...
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Michael Johnson sleeps Ottman Azaitar

A video of Covington and Johnson interacting went viral before UFC Tampa.

It shows the two men exchanging pleasantries before ‘Chaos’ walks away and explains to the camera that Johnson is his favorite fighter after knocking out Poirier.

Covington said: “Michael Johnson is a legend. He’s my favorite fighter, he knocked the goddamn Dustin Poirier out cold.”

Johnson dropped Poirier with a big right hand when they fought, and he used the same punch to score a faceplant knockout victory over Ottman Azaitar in his 30th fight.th UFC fight.

The sickening shot earned Covington’s favorite fighter a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus – but the former interim welterweight champion was unable to get the job done in the main event.

Covington suffered a third-round stoppage defeat after a cut sustained by Joaquin Buckley was deemed so bad that the fight could not continue. UFC boss Dana White disagreed with the stoppage and insisted the fight would have been allowed to go ahead had it taken place in Las Vegas.

Michael Johnson used to score points in the UFC feud

Covington wasn’t the only one using Johnson to take shots at Poirier this week. Michael Chandler also reminded ‘The Diamond’ of his famous lightweight debut defeat.

‘Iron Mike’ went on a Twitter spree after watching Johnson KO Azaitar. Chandler initially focused on praising his friend, tweeting: “My man @Menace155 has the best right hook in the world. In all of MMA. Dude still got it!”

Along with footage of the UFC Tampa KO, he added: “Best right hook in UFC history. #changemymind.”

It was his third tweet, showing he’s still willing to take a jab at his old rival Poirier. The 38-year-old shared a video of Johnson knocking out Poirier with the caption: “Best right hook in UFC HISTORY. Never forget this one.”

Poirier choked out Chandler when they fought at UFC 281 in November 2022. The former interim lightweight champion was quick to remind him of that when he responded to the social media troll attempt.

Poirier wrote: “Remember when I beat you a **? You’re 2-4 in the UFC Muscle Milk Mike.”

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