Timothy Johnson Determined to Turn Things Around in London
Timothy Johnson Determined to Turn Things Around in London
UFC heavyweight Timothy Johnson will look to get back into the win column this weekend in London.
After a recent setback, UFC heavyweight Timothy Johnson is spending time sharpening his tools at one of the most well-known and well respected gyms on the planet in an effort to get back on the winning track.
The two time Division II All-American wrestler will have the opportunity to move his UFC record north of .500 when he travels overseas to face Daniel Omielańczuk this weekend at UFC Fight Night 107 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
The scrap pits two heavyweights on losing streaks who are sitting just outside of the top 10 in the official UFC rankings.
Johnson, who finished nine of his first 10 opponents with a vicious combination of TKOs and submissions, comes into this fight on a three-fight streak of decisions with mixed results. He is looking to get back to his fight finishing ways and throw hands with Omielanczuk until, quite simply, one of the giants drop.
“We are both coming off of losses, so we both want to get back in the win column.” Johnson told FloCombat. “He is a striker. That was always been his game. He has a few submissions but nothing to write home about. He is going to go out there and try to get back to his base of Muay Thai and kickboxing and throw his kicks and his hooks. Hopefully that is his game plan, anyway.”
The Fargo, North Dakota resident recently made the trip to the legendary Xtreme Couture facility in Las Vegas.
The heavyweight posted an impressive picture on social media of a training session with heavyweight kings Mark Hunt, Heath Herring and Roy Nelson. With a murders row of heavyweights in the gym Johnson wanted to be a sponge and absorb as much information as he could during the short visit. He is the king of his gym in Fargo but as the MMA adage goes, you never want to be the best guy in your gym.
“It’s a great change.” Johnson said. “My camp in Fargo is great. We have a good base and a team of guys. If you train with someone too long you level out a bit. I already know exactly what my practice partners are going to do before they do it. It’s nice to come out here and face top level competition every round, every minute, every second. You don’t get to be lazy.
“On the mental side of it, many fighters won’t admit it, there is so much self-doubt, but when I come here and I am able to roll with these high level, world class guys and I can hang with them then I realize that I am at this level. It gives me more confidence.”
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Timothy Johnson throws a punch against Marcin Tybura during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
The landscape of the UFC heavyweight division shifts regularly. In a division where the title has never been defended by the same man more than a handful of times, the only thing constant is change. Johnson has only been training in MMA for a few short years and it’s scary to think of his potential.
He is very honest with his current standing in the division but that doesn’t stop him from reaching for the stars and aiming for greatness in the future.
“I am realistic.” Johnson said. “I didn’t even start training until two and a half years ago. I was fighting but I wasn’t training. I was going in there and wrestling. I’m not going to be the heavyweight champion right now. That’s a few years down the road. Reasonably, with the top five guys, I will go out there and fight them. I probably won’t win but I will give them everything I got. Everyone below that I feel like I would have a good chance of coming out on top. That’s where I’m at right now.”
Johnson has fought more outside of the States than he has inside during his relatively short UFC career. The potential of fighting at home at a Fargo Fight Night is something found only in his dreams at the moment. If the day comes to head back to North Dakota, UFC brass might want to consult with him before finalizing any plans.
“It’s cultural.” Johnson said. “The Sioux Falls card didn’t do well. It was the middle of the week in the summer. You need to understand there are timeframes in the Midwest where you can put on shows. You can’t put a show on in early spring because farmers are planting. You can’t put one on during the summer because we only get three months to enjoy the weather. We are all at the lakes and cabins. You can’t do it in the fall because that is harvest.
"Your best time to put on a show in February or March when everyone is anxious to get out of the house and do something. Boom. You just filled the Fargo Dome.”
The two time Division II All-American wrestler will have the opportunity to move his UFC record north of .500 when he travels overseas to face Daniel Omielańczuk this weekend at UFC Fight Night 107 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
The scrap pits two heavyweights on losing streaks who are sitting just outside of the top 10 in the official UFC rankings.
Johnson, who finished nine of his first 10 opponents with a vicious combination of TKOs and submissions, comes into this fight on a three-fight streak of decisions with mixed results. He is looking to get back to his fight finishing ways and throw hands with Omielanczuk until, quite simply, one of the giants drop.
“We are both coming off of losses, so we both want to get back in the win column.” Johnson told FloCombat. “He is a striker. That was always been his game. He has a few submissions but nothing to write home about. He is going to go out there and try to get back to his base of Muay Thai and kickboxing and throw his kicks and his hooks. Hopefully that is his game plan, anyway.”
The Fargo, North Dakota resident recently made the trip to the legendary Xtreme Couture facility in Las Vegas.
The heavyweight posted an impressive picture on social media of a training session with heavyweight kings Mark Hunt, Heath Herring and Roy Nelson. With a murders row of heavyweights in the gym Johnson wanted to be a sponge and absorb as much information as he could during the short visit. He is the king of his gym in Fargo but as the MMA adage goes, you never want to be the best guy in your gym.
“It’s a great change.” Johnson said. “My camp in Fargo is great. We have a good base and a team of guys. If you train with someone too long you level out a bit. I already know exactly what my practice partners are going to do before they do it. It’s nice to come out here and face top level competition every round, every minute, every second. You don’t get to be lazy.
“On the mental side of it, many fighters won’t admit it, there is so much self-doubt, but when I come here and I am able to roll with these high level, world class guys and I can hang with them then I realize that I am at this level. It gives me more confidence.”
April 10, 2016; Zagreb, Croatia; Timothy Johnson throws a punch against Marcin Tybura during UFC Fight Night at Zagreb Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
The landscape of the UFC heavyweight division shifts regularly. In a division where the title has never been defended by the same man more than a handful of times, the only thing constant is change. Johnson has only been training in MMA for a few short years and it’s scary to think of his potential.
He is very honest with his current standing in the division but that doesn’t stop him from reaching for the stars and aiming for greatness in the future.
“I am realistic.” Johnson said. “I didn’t even start training until two and a half years ago. I was fighting but I wasn’t training. I was going in there and wrestling. I’m not going to be the heavyweight champion right now. That’s a few years down the road. Reasonably, with the top five guys, I will go out there and fight them. I probably won’t win but I will give them everything I got. Everyone below that I feel like I would have a good chance of coming out on top. That’s where I’m at right now.”
Johnson has fought more outside of the States than he has inside during his relatively short UFC career. The potential of fighting at home at a Fargo Fight Night is something found only in his dreams at the moment. If the day comes to head back to North Dakota, UFC brass might want to consult with him before finalizing any plans.
“It’s cultural.” Johnson said. “The Sioux Falls card didn’t do well. It was the middle of the week in the summer. You need to understand there are timeframes in the Midwest where you can put on shows. You can’t put a show on in early spring because farmers are planting. You can’t put one on during the summer because we only get three months to enjoy the weather. We are all at the lakes and cabins. You can’t do it in the fall because that is harvest.
"Your best time to put on a show in February or March when everyone is anxious to get out of the house and do something. Boom. You just filled the Fargo Dome.”