Michael Johnson vs Ottman Azaitar Prediction: a tight fight between two strugglers

This bout is a preliminary card (fight 7 of 13) in the UFC Fight Night to be held in Tampa, Florida. Johnson comes to this bout with a record of 22-19-0, while Azaitar comes with a record of 13-2-0. This makes the fight difficult and complicated to predict; Johnson has more wins and more losses, while Azaitar has fewer wins and fewer losses. This fight will definitely get the fans on the edge of their seats as they can stream the MMA bout live via ESPN.

Michael Johnson is an MMA world champion, ranking #47 in the current best MMA lightweight fighters. Johnson fought 3 amateur bouts in 2007, winning 2 against Cody Carrillo and Kyle Tracz and losing against Josh Castro. Beginning his professional career in 2008, Johnson has 9 knockout victories and 3 knockout losses. He has 2 submission wins and 9 submission losses, while he has 11 decision wins and 7 decision losses. All his bouts from 2019 to 2021 were all red as he was defeated by Josh Emmett, Stevie Ray, Thiago Moises, and Clay Guida. Since then, Johnson has been struggling with one win and one loss from 2022 till 2024. His previous bout was a win against Darrius Flowers in February.

Azaitar began his professional career in 2014, within his first 13 consecutive games. The winning streak was broken with a ‘double barrel’ as he lost twice consecutively against Matt Frevola and Francisco Prado in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Azaitar has 9 knockout wins and 2 losses, 3 submission wins, and 1 decision win. Azaitar gained recognition with the 13-winning streak, showcasing his prowess in both knockouts and submissions. However, his setbacks against Frevola and Prado do not dispute his ability to grapple with any opponent that comes his way. Ottman Azaitar ranks #84 in the current best MMA lightweight fighters.

Michael is 38 while Azaitar is 34; I think Johnson is getting tired. His recent bouts have been one loss and one win. Judging by statistics, I think the next for Johnson will be a defeat because he is just coming from a unanimous decision win against Darius Flowers in 2024. For Azaitar, he is currently on a 2-losing streak after a 13-winning streak. I think Azaitar has taken enough rest since July 2023, making him come to this bout with full force to kick start a long streak again. I see this bout ending in a knockout, with Ottman Azaitar being pronounced the winner.