Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight prospect Daniel Zellhuber takes on 30-fight UFC veteran Michael Johnson at UFC 318 this weekend (Sat., July 19, 2025) inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA.
Following his ‘Fight of the Year’ performance against Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306, the 26-year-old Zellhuber aimed to return in early 2025 to reclaim a spot in the win column. Initially booked for UFC Mexico City, he was forced to withdraw due to a leg injury.
“Golden Boy” then sought
a new opponent and targeted Johnson, a seasoned fighter he views as a significant step up in competition.
To provoke “Menace,” Zellhuber posted a social media video highlighting Johnson’s past knockouts by various opponents.
“Y’all want to see a dead body? I guess this will be my tune up fight, see you in June, Michael Johnson,” Zellhuber wrote in the caption.
Johnson took offense to the call-out and blocked Zellhuber on Instagram.
“He blocked me,” Zellhuber recently told MMAMania.com. “Honestly, I didn’t expect it, but it was funny. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings—this is the fight game, and I was just calling him out. He declined the fight multiple times because of that post, but after confronting me while I was working [on the Spanish UFC broadcast], he seemed to change his mind. A few weeks later, my manager called me to say we’re fighting.”
At UFC 318’s media day (watch here), Johnson labeled Zellhuber a “scumbag” for his social media tactics.
“I’m going in here to win. With him in here talking shit, he’s a little too cocky, he’s a little too confident,” Johnson said. “He’s young, I get it. These guys are young and run their mouth, even the way he got this fight was a scumbag way. He wants to post me getting knocked out on his Instagram and talk so much trash. He’s just fueling my fire and putting a lot of pressure on himself; he’s going to learn the hard way.”
Johnson (23-19) is riding a two-fight win streak and is coming off a brutal one-punch knockout of Ottman Azaitar (watch highlights).
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 318 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 318: “Holloway vs. Poirier 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
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