Michael Johnson is in a different state of mind these days, and that's precisely where he needs to be.

Johnson's had hustle for as long as he can remember, but the ferocity required to keep his killer instinct at the ready, has been an evolution which has come through time. Every athlete shapes their drive and pursuit of dreams differently, but it takes a much grittier scope to be successful in the fight game.

This is a reality Johnson has become well aware of. And while crazy may be a subjective term, it's a condition very much necessary for the road ahead.

"I'm just in a different mindset right now," Johnson said. "It's nothing but violence from here on ahead to this fight. It's a great place for me and where I need to be, but if a normal person was to look at how my mind is working right now they'd think I was f******g crazy right now because of the sh*t that's going through my mind. But that's how I have to be and I love it.

"This manner of thinking is a bit different, but if you really think about it we are in a whole different world in this fight game. We go in there and fight. We may not want to see our opponents hurt, but that's what you are going in there to do so you have to have that mindset 24/7."



Johnson surged up the divisional ladder on the strength of a four-fight winning streak, but a pair of losses inside the Octagon to Beneil Dariush and Nate Diaz respectively put his climb in a different gear. And while Johnson doesn't old any resentment to the way things played out with the Stockton native, he's still downright pissed about the judges giving the decision victory to Dariush.

Nevertheless, Johnson isn't one to focus on negative aspects, and has found a strong silver lining to grab onto as he heads toward a showdown with Dustin Poirier in the main event at Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, TX on Sept. 17.

"It's the right type of fight for where I'm looking to go," Johnson said. "My last two fights didn't end the way I wanted--or at least should have with [Beneil] Dariush--and a win over Dustin puts me right back up there. It's a main event and those are the fights you should want to be in.

"It may sound strange but I definitely feel my stock went up in my last two fights. Everybody knows I won that Dariush fight. That's craziness that I didn't walk out of there with the win. The [Nate] Diaz was a little too close to call, but his stock is just booming right now. I feel like he's going to go out there and put it on McGregor again, which is good for me having been in such an entertaining fight with him.

"Those losses dropped me down to No. 10 in the UFC rankings, but those rankings don't mean sh*t," he added. "I'm just ready to get back in there and get this win in the main event."



While Johnson and Poirier are both currently riding opposite trajectories, the matchup still makes a tremendous amount of sense in regard to the state of the lightweight divisional picture.

For the past decade the 155-pound collective has been one of the most competitive divisions under the UFC banner, with the fighters who forged that reputation remaining fixed in the divisional upper tier. The past two years a new chapter has begun to unfold.

Fighters like Johnson, Poirier and Tony Ferguson have all toppled established names and staked their respective claims to key positions in the upper echelon of the weight class.

"There is a huge changing of the guard happening right now in the lightweight division," Johnson said. "We have new fighters coming up who are determined to make a name for themselves. Guys like myself, Dustin, Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson are the new school at 155-pounds and I'm the leader of this new school movement.

"I'm going to be the guy who people look at and say, 'Wow...this lightweight division has changed so much but Michael Johnson is the leader of the pack.' I'm going to be the guy. I'm coming in there to take over and this next fight goes a long way toward making that happen."



Johnson has big plans for his future and the moxie to grind out the work necessary to bring those plans to fruition. He's also a sharp enough player in the fight game to understand there are certain politics at play that have the ability to curb even his best efforts to further himself.

Rather than rattle off soundbites and trash-talk, Johnson plans to make every contest he enters so electric fans stay talking until the next time he competes. If Johnson is successful in those efforts, he believes everything he's working towards will be achieved when it's all said and done.

"This is the one fight where I go out there and give a great performance and get a dominant win that ranking I'm holding doesn't matter," Johnson said. "A win like I'm planning to get will make them give me a top-ranked opponent in my next fight and put me into that title picture. I've already beat two of the guys who are in the top five, and a win in this next fight makes it where they can't deny me.

"I have to show the world Michael Johnson is here. I have to show them I'm motivated and I'm going to take that title."