Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 318 | Preview & Prediction
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We have a quality bout to kick things off on the main card at UFC 318 as UFC veteran Michael Johnson is handed a tough assignment as he faces rising Mexican star Daniel Zellhuber on Saturday night
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber facts
What time are Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 318? Smoothie king Center, New Orleans, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 318? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 318
What TV channel is UFC 318 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
Where can I stream UFC 318? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 318 main card
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier (Lightweight)
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Dan Ige vs Patrício Pitbull (Featherweight)
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight)
UFC 318 prelims
Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen (Middleweight)
Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight)
Ateba Abega Gautier vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov (Welterweight)
Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio (Light Heavyweight)
Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey (Middleweight)
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Flyweight)
Michael Johnson: Vet looking to continue fine form from 2024
Michael Johnson (23-19) had an excellent 2024 as he picked up two wins against Darrius Flowers and Ottman Azaitar. The 39-year-old remains as competitive as ever and has shown that he remains far too good for mid and lower-level fighters. This fight against Daniel Zellhuber is an unquestioned step up in quality though.
Daniel Zellhuber: Talented Mexican looking to rebound from second loss
Daniel Zellhuber (15-2) is coming off just the second loss of his professional MMA career as he looks to bounce back from a narrow-split decision defeat against Esteban Ribovics. That was the second Fight of the Night bout he was involved in and his fights are always entertaining to watch. This promises to be no different for the 26-year-old who will look to bring his best against Johnson; a fighter 13 years his senior.
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber prediction
The UFC love matching up experienced veterans against up-and-coming talents and this bout between Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber is one of those.
Johnson is in fine form and comes off successive wins for the first time since 2018. The level of opponent however has not been so great and this clash with Zellhuber is a definite upgrade.
The talented Mexican has shown he belongs in the UFC and is capable of competing around the middle of the division with potential to go further.
This is the perfect kind of test to see how much potential he has and whether he can go up a level.
Johnson will be as tough a test as he has faced but we expect Zellhuber to come through this one. It is hard to see him stopping Johnson but Zellhuber should have the edge in energy to get the decision win.
Prediction: Daniel Zellhuber to win by decision
