Miles Johns is here to fight the who’s who.
With a chip on his shoulder and an eagerness to further prove himself, Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters the highest-profile fight of his life Nov. 9 at UFC Fight Night 247 when he takes on former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.
Johns is dead set on getting better and bigger-named opponents each and every time from here on out. It begins with Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), but other names are on the tip of his tongue, as well.
“For me, I take it one fight at a time,” Johns recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “So I’m super focused on Cody right now. It also made me realize I want to fight the who’s who. I want to fight the Pedro Munhozes, the Dominick Cruzes, the Rob Fonts. It seems like none of these prospects can take care of Font. I was thinking in my head, ‘Maybe I’ll be the one that can.’ Two have failed so far, two of these rising prospects. But I think I can be the one to do it.
“Who knows what will come next? Sean Shelby is very good at his job. I trust him. He seems like he keeps giving me the perfect test at the perfect time. We’ll see what happens. But hopefully this will set me up to fight the who’s who of the division. I’m not even so concerned about rankings. I want to be in the rankings. I feel like soon I’ll deserve to be in the rankings. But give me the names. Give me fights that have people getting excited for.”
Johns, 30, is 3-1 with one no contest in most recent four. The no contest was initially a win for Johns, but it was overturned after a failed drug test. However, the Nevada Athletic Commission adjusted allowable thresholds for DHMCT, the substance found in his system, between the time of his positive test and subsequent disciplinary action.
Garbrandt, 33, is 2-1 in his most recent three but is coming off a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in April. The court of public opinion is not unanimous as to where Garbrandt is skill wise in his career, but Johns has some insider intel that’s boosted his confidence he’ll get the best “No Love” on fight night.
“I’m expecting Cody Garbrandt with something to prove,” Johns said. “He has a little bit of a legacy to leave. I hear he’s on the last fight of his UFC contract. I know that he’s had his ups and downs and stuff. He’s dealt with a lot of critique from fans in the MMA world. I don’t really listen to too much of that. People always say he has no chin. I’ve seen fights that he’s been in after he’s gotten knocked out where he did take a lot of punches and his chin did last. I just feel like he’s knowing this is his last fight on his UFC contract. He’s going to come with everything he has. That’s what I hope. I want to beat the best Cody Garbrandt. … I’m expecting the best Cody, and I plan to put the best Cody to sleep.”
Johns said emotional baiting could be in his repertoire during their bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He’s seen Garbrandt get sucked into fire fights before and might attempt to charge him up into doing the same.
“I know he’s going to crack back,” Johns said. “I’m expecting for him to crack back. But I think if I get him up against the wall and I start putting some heat on him, he’s not going to like that. I want to make it an exciting fight. I want to make it a fight that the fans have fun watching and that they enjoy. We’ll see what happens. I know he’s also a little bit emotional. If he’s waiting a little bit and I tell him, ‘Come on, man. What are we waiting on? Let’s get this thing popping,’ I think he’ll oblige. But we’ll see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 247.
