Michael Johnson: Not Leaving
After suffering a brutal knockout at last night's Holloway vs. Oliveira II (UFC 326), Michael Johnson vowed 'I’m not f—king leaving' and said he isn't retiring. (mmamania.com) He also called it the 'biggest payday ever' for him, a reminder of how much a single big card can change a fighter’s finances. (mmamania.com)
Drew Dober stopped Michael Johnson by KO/TKO at 1:53 of Round 2 on March 7, 2026 in the UFC 326 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (tapology.com) UFC and event officials confirmed Johnson was taken to a local hospital immediately after the fight for precautionary CT scans of his head and face. (mmamania.com) Dober was awarded a $100,000 Performance-of-the-Night bonus for the finish, one of four $100,000 bonuses handed out at UFC 326. (tennessean.com) The knockout extended Dober’s total of UFC lightweight stoppages, marking his 11th KO/TKO inside the division. (mmafighting.com) Johnson entered the bout with a reported pro record of 24-20 (16-16 in UFC competition), and the loss snapped the three-fight win streak he carried into UFC 326. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) UFC reported an announced attendance of 19,480 and a live gate of $8,305,158 for UFC 326, while the promotion’s published compliance payouts for the event totaled $261,000. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) UFC president Dana White publicly dismissed an outlandish betting rumor linked to Johnson after the knockout, a storyline that followed a previous fight-day cancellation Johnson experienced earlier this year due to irregular wagering activity. (bjpenn.com)
