UFC 324: Michael Johnson vs Alexander Hernandez Preview & Prediction
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Surging lightweights are on deck for the fourth fight of the night, with Michael Johnson facing off against Alexander Hernandez in an exciting lightweight tilt.
Michael Johnson vs Alexander Hernandez facts
What time are Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 324? T-Mobile Arena, Nevada, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 324? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 324
What TV channel is UFC 324 on? UK – TNT Sports Box Office / USA – Not televised
Where can I stream UFC 324? UK – TNT Sports subscribers who have paid for the fight can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett main card
Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett (Lightweight)
Sean O'Malley vs Song Yadong (Bantamweight)
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Derrick Lewis (Heavyweight)
Natalia Silva vs Rose Namajunas (Women’s Flyweight)
Arnold Allen vs Jean Silva (Featherweight)
UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett prelims
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Deiveson Figueiredo (Bantamweight)
Ateba Gautier vs Andrey Pulyaev (Middleweight)
Nikita Krylov vs Modestas Bukauskas (Light Heavyweight)
Alex Perez vs Charles Johnson (Flyweight)
Michael Johnson vs Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight)
Josh Hokit vs Denzel Freeman (Heavyweight)
Ricky Turcios vs Cameron Smotherman (Bantamweight)
Adam Fugitt vs Ty Miller (Welterweight)
Michael Johnson: Does "The Menace" continue his late career renaissance?
A UFC competitor since 2011, Michael Johnson (24-19) will make his 32nd walk to the cage on Saturday night. A lightning fast boxer who has lost remarkably little speed considering that he’s nearing his fortieth birthday, “The Menace” is a front-runner for the most maddeningly inconsistent fighter in UFC history. Johnson has wins over the likes of Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, and Edson Barboza, only to come up short against fighters in the vein of Clay Guida and Jamie Mullarkey. However, he appears to be aging like a fine wine; Johnson is currently on a three fight win streak, a run that includes his first finish since 2022.
Alexander Hernandez: "The Great Ape" returns in search of a third successive finish
Once vaunted as potential future title challenger at 155 pounds after flatlining Beneil Dariush with first round punches in his UFC debut, Alexander Hernandez (18-8) might just be finally coming into his own. After alternating wins and losses for the majority of his UFC tenure, Hernandez now finds himself on a four fight win streak, scoring highly impressive knockouts over Chase Hooper and Carlos Diego Ferreira in his two most recent appearances. An explosive athlete with a well-rounded MMA game and heavy hands, Hernandez appears to have sidestepped his habit of flagging in the latter stages of his fights by brutalizing his competition early.
Michael Johnson vs Alexander Hernandez prediction
Johnson’s return to form has been nothing short of remarkable. No-one was breaking out the champagne for wins over Darrius Flowers and Ottman Azaitar, but Daniel Zellhuber was an incredibly impressive victory, particularly given the discrepancy in age and size between the two lightweights.
As such, it says a lot that Hernandez’s comeback has still arguably been the more impressive resurgence. Chase Hooper was being touted as a future lightweight contender courtesy of a five fight win streak, while Carlos Diego Ferreira remains one of the more respected statesman at 155 pounds; it’s not so long ago that he sent Johnson to the shadow realm with a KOTY contender himself. Hernandez finished both of them with less than a month’s turnaround between fights.
Both fighters are renowned for being notoriously unreliable picks. However, with both of them finally demonstrating some semblance of consistency, "The Great Ape" looks to be the marginally safer choice to secure the victory, courtesy of his stiffer strength of schedule. Johnson could well wind back the years with yet another vintage performance of old, but the tentative pick is for Hernandez to continue his streak, potentially even notching a third successive knockout along the way.
Prediction: Alexander Hernandez to win
