Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 4-2
UFC main cards, 2025: 68-50-1
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 preview
Johnson (23-19 MMA, 15-15 UFC) has been around the UFC since Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2010. In this fight, he’ll look to stay above .500 for his UFC run, while extending his winning streak to three. “The Menace” enters on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Darrius Flowers and a knockout of Ottman Azaitar. … Zellhuber (15-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will aim to rebound from a tough split decision loss against Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306. The result snapped a three-fight streak that included wins over Lando Vannata, Christos Giagos and Francisco Prado.
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 expert pick, prediction
Kicking off the paid portion of the card is a crossroads fight at lightweight between the UFC veteran Michael Johnson and the up-and-coming Daniel Zellhuber.
Although I can appreciate the matchmakers sticking to Joe Silva’s tried and true method of booking lightweight main-card openers, this fight could end up being more tepid than some suspect with Johnson being the first notable southpaw of Zellhuber’s career.
Despite both fighters often finding themselves in exciting fights, I’m curious how the open-stance nature of the matchup will affect Zellhuber’s reliance on his jab. Luckily for Zellhuber, he appears to be a fairly dynamic striker and works under Xtreme Couture MMA’s Eric Nicksick – who I suspect will have the Mexican fighter well-prepared for this weekend.
Johnson used to be one of my favorite underdogs to wager on back in the day, but it’s become harder and harder to back the original “Blackzilian” in recent years due to his propensity to fall apart down the stretch.
The pick is Zellhuber by unanimous decision.
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Mexican fighter, listing Zellhuber -650 and Johnson +475 via FanDuel.
Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber UFC 318 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Johnson and Zellhuber are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+.
