Diego Ferreira vs Michael Johnson Betting Prediction

One of the most exciting upcoming UFC fights this weekend will be the main card opener when lightweights Diego Ferreira and Michael Johnson meet in the octagon. Both men are veterans of the game with their careers winding down, looking for a big win to keep it going.

Read further for a complete Ferreira vs Johnson betting analysis and prediction ahead of this weekend’s event.

Diego Ferreira vs Michael Johnson

Location of the fight: UFC APEX. Las Vegas, NV.

Date and Time: May 20, 2023. 7 PM ET

How to Watch: ESPN+

Ferreira is coming off three-straight losses and looking to get back in the win column. 

Johnson is looking to add another win to his resume, coming off a good performance over Marc Diakiese in December.

Ferreira is a 38-year-old Brazilian martial artist with a career record of 17-5 in MMA. This will be his first appearance in a fight since 2021, after taking an extended time off from competition after being finished twice in a row. We can’t let it go unnoticed that his losses have been against absolute killers in Dariush, Gillespie, and Gamrot.

He has 10 finishes in his pro career, 7 of them being via submission. The submission will be the best chance for Ferreira to finish this fight inside the distance. Ferreira also has very solid striking statistics in the UFC, averaging 4.67 significant strikes landed and 3.35 absorbed per minute in the octagon. 

Johnson is definitely an “OG” of the UFC and lightweight division. He has fought basically everyone he could in the last decade, and losses come with that kind of risk. Even with his record and his age, you can’t fall into the trap of believing he isn’t able to compete at a high level anymore.

The key statistic for Johnson this weekend is to keep up his impressive 80% takedown defense. He is going to make the walk for the 40th time in his professional career this weekend, and a win will feel very good. Johnson has been submitted 9 times, so he hopefully made his submission defense a priority in this camp.

No injuries have been reported to the UFC or NSAC.

For the Ferreira vs Johnson betting preview, we need to take a look at the UFC odds for both men. Ferreira is the -155 betting favorite this weekend. Johnson takes the underdog role with odds at +135.

The most interesting prop bet to look at has to be the fight going the distance at +135. This tells us that oddsmakers don’t really believe this fight will go to the scorecards. Who will get the finish?

From looking at past fights and the styles of both guys, it’s easy to predict that the key to how this fight plays out will be how Johnson defends takedowns. Johnson will try to keep this fight on the feet and use his kickboxing to do damage.

UFC picks are the toughest to make in any sport. MMA is so unpredictable, especially with a matchup as close as this one.

• The official Ferreira vs Johnson betting prediction is that Johnson will get his hand raised in his 40th career fight. 

Don’t be surprised if Johnson has a spectacular finish. He has been much more active than Ferreira, and Johnson has looked very good in his last few fights. He also trains with some of the best training partners you can get at the MMA Lab in Arizona.

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