UFC on Fox 30: 5 talking points

#5 How long will it take for the UFC to cut Kajan Johnson?

Islam Makhachev may have enabled the UFC to cut Kajan Johnson

It’s a well-known fact that the UFC’s contracts allow them to cut any fighter coming off a loss, and while it doesn’t feel like fighters are being cut from the promotion that regularly these days, if Kajan Johnson remains on the roster by the end of next week it’ll be a major surprise.

Johnson didn’t lose in a bad way last night – he was faced with an incredibly dangerous opponent in Islam Makhachev and the Dagestani easily outgrappled and submitted him inside a round – but rather, he’s heavily involved in Project Spearhead – the organisation headed by Leslie Smith that’s looking to unionise UFC fighters.

For those who don’t know, Smith was herself cut by the UFC in April – and not after a loss, either. Instead, she was released after refusing to fight Aspen Ladd at a catchweight after Ladd missed weight for their scheduled fight. Reading between the lines, though, the UFC brass probably just wanted rid of someone they considered to be a major nuisance.

And Johnson, from the UFC’s perspective, is a major nuisance himself. He’s criticised everything from the Reebok deal to fighter pay, and outside of Smith herself, nobody is more heavily involved in Project Spearhead’s attempt to organise the UFC’s roster. And thanks to Makhachev, the UFC now has its opportunity to get rid of another nuisance by cutting Johnson.

Is that right? Probably not – Johnson had won four in a row going into last night – but from the UFC’s perspective, they simply don’t want to give the fighters a bigger slice of the pie – and that means they can’t let Project Spearhead succeed. And by getting rid of Johnson, the likelihood of it succeeding gets slimmer.