UFC News: Michael Johnson set for Lightweight return at UFC Singapore

What's the story?

On Sunday afternoon, UFC officials announced the return of Lightweight veteran Michael Johnson, who is set to make his Octagon return against fellow veteran Stevie Ray at UFC Singapore.

In case you didn't know...

Michael Johnson made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs Team Koscheck Finale where he faced Jonathan Brookins. After starting off the fight in solid fashion, Johnson eventually lost the bout via unanimous decision.

In the following years, Johnson faced the likes of Tony Ferguson, Miles Jury, Ross Pearson and Edson Barboza in the Octagon. However, his notable fights in the UFC were against likes of Nate Diaz, Dustin Poirier and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Johnson last competed in the Octagon at UFC in March 2019 on ESPN 2 when he was defeated by Josh Emmett via a third-round knockout.

The heart of the matter

In the build-up to UFC Singapore, promotion officials have confirmed several notable fights for the event including the return of Michael Johnson, who is slated to face another veteran in the form of Stevie Ray.

This will be the first time Johnson will compete at 155 since his TKO loss to Justin Gaethje in 2017. As for Stevie Ray, he will be stepping back into the Octagon for the second time in 2019 after having lost to Leonardo Santos back in June.

Among other fights, the UFC has also confirmed two explosive heavyweight bouts with Sergei Pavlovich clashing with Maurice Greene and Ciryl Gane facing off against Don’Tale Mayes. Also, the main event of the evening will feature Demian Maia and Ben Askren.

What's next?

UFC on ESPN+ 20, also known as UFC Fight Night 162, will take place on the 26th of October, 2019 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang. So far, only four fights have been confirmed for the card but fans can certainly expect a few more fights to be drawn up for the event.