There is something simmering just below the surface of Michael Johnson. It is something the St. Louis native knows exists, and he isn't entirely confident it doesn't rattle him a little bit.

In Johnson's perspective, if knowing what lurks behind his eyes is enough to give him pause, then every other fighter in the UFC lightweight ranks has something legitimate to fear.
 
The darkness inside the mind of Michael Johnson--and his ability to keep those thoughts at bay while unleashing technical brutality--is what has cemented "The Menace's" place as one of the top lightweights in the world. Johnson will be the first to admit he's wired a bit differently, but don't expect an apology because of it.
 
"It gets twisted," Johnson told FloCombat about his mindset. "There are things going through my mind that a regular person wouldn't want to look inside my mind and see. Some of these fighters wouldn't want to either.
 
"There are things that go through my mind in camp and it really does get to be some murderous type sh*t. I'm not trying to come off that way, but we are in a violent sport and that's what it has to be. That's where my mind has to be, and that's considered a good place for me in this time.
 
"I'm a good guy, but we are in a bad world," he added. "That's what it comes down to. And in a bad world, you gotta be a bad killer to survive, man."


Photo Credit: © Sean Porkorny-USA TODAY Sports 

The paradox of the man who exists beyond fighting and the beast unleashed under the bright lights has created a duality in The Ultimate Fighter alum.
 
Johnson's lighthearted nature is well documented with friends and teammates, and the notorious jokester drops punchlines with the same precision as strikes on fight night, yet the 30-year-old has spent the past seven years showing the violence he's capable of unleashing when the Octagon door locks and the leather starts to fly.
 
Over the course of his career, Johnson has learned when to temper the savagery or cater to the impulse, and thanks to a bout with Justin Gaethje in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale on July 7 in Las Vegas, the fleet-footed striker now has a target and a date.
 
Throw in a fighter with Gaethje's aggression who is all but guaranteed to bring the fight in full, and fight fans have something to be excited about. 
 
"The Justin Gaethje fight was a surprise," Johnson said. "I didn't even know he was coming over, then I saw him tweet out a few things and then he just got brought to it. Of course I'm not going to say no to a fight. Sean Shelby and I talked and we got the fight set. Main event on July 7 and I can't ask for more. That's a big weekend and I'm facing a guy who I know is going to come in and fight. That's a great situation.
 
"He was over there saying he's violent, fights violent and has a violent mindset. I'll give him respect because he's a good fighter, but I've been violent against fighters who are at a level he's never seen before or even come close to looking at. I've fought the best in this world, I've been violent with the best in this world and now he's fighting one of the best guys in the world.
 
"It's time for him to test his skills and I feel disrespected because he thinks he's better than me, and then we have another problem because his camp wanted me because they think I'm the easiest guy to face in the top 10. Well that's not going to be the case, especially with me coming off a loss in my last fight. I have other plans.
 
"I go in there and get a big solid win and I'm right back in the top. The thing about MMA is once you have a good fight after a bad fight it kind of almost erases the bad fight in a way. It's such a 'what have you done lately sport' or 'you're only as good as your last fight,' so a solid win and a good performance that can put me in a position to fight for an interim title or a big fight like that."


Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports 

The fight between Johnson and Gaethje was announced during the UFC's Summer Kickoff press conference and the two competitors wasted no time digging into the psychological battlefield. The former World Series of Fighting champion is known for being an aggressive fighter, but Johnson would be quick to contest just how well known the Colorado-based fighter is at all.
 
Johnson stated above he's already faced the best of the best, but that's not the only edge over Gaethje he believes will exist on fight night. The heavy-handed brawler Gaethje is undefeated in his young career, and Johnson sees that as a detriment rather than a benefit. The fight game is one of hard knocks of both the literal and figurative varieties, and the path to becoming elite is a toll road where blood, sacrifice and oftentimes misfortune is required payment.
 
The Combat Club representative has experienced the thrill and the agony alike, and it's only fueled his hunger for more.
 
"I've learned my lessons and suffered through hard times. He hasn't," Johnson said. "I've come off losses and trudged back. He's never had to do that before, and I think it's about that time he experiences that.
 
"They can keep underestimating me and not giving me my credit and they are going to step in with me and I'm going to show them different. I'm going to show you what it is and it's extremely different than what you originally thought it would be. Everybody can say what they are going to do until they get in there."
 
And while their exchanges had plenty of tense moments, there was also a thread of hilarity woven through, as the trash-talk on Johnson's side of the room went from the streets to a sand trap with Shooter McGavin.

During talk of how one predator devours his prey, Johnson revealed his preference to digest his kill in one sitting without dissection, and the ensuing soundbite immediately made its rounds on social media. And with Johnson's aforementioned sense of humor, the lightweight staple was immediately able to make light of the misplay in the heat of verbal warfare.


Photo Credit: © Sean Porkorny-USA TODAY Sports 

"I caught it right away as soon as I said it," Johnson said. "I immediately thought about Happy Gilmore and the Shooter McGavin scene. Good thing he's not witty enough to catch it right away because I did. I was like, 'Ahhh s*t. You eat pieces of sh*t for breakfast?'" Johnson laughed. "It's cool though because he didn't catch it. Not witty enough I guess." 
 
From a stylistic point of view, the matchup between Johnson and Gaethje is the classic pairing of speed versus power, and Johnson doesn't disagree with that assessment. Furthermore, he believes his continued progression in the technique department will play a big factor in his ability to carve up Gaethje from range in Las Vegas.
 
"[Gaethje] is extremely sloppy. At the same time he does throw his punches and kicks hard, and he's dangerous, but guess what? He has to find me to land those big bombs and that's going to be a problem," Johnson said. "That's going to be a huge problem for him, so I hope he's working on that. I'm not going to be standing in front of him getting hit. He knows that.
 
"My speed is dangerous and it's only going to get moreso. I'm constantly working and looking to add new things to my game to make me the best fighter I could possibly be. I've taken a few bump where wins and losses are concerned and I've been broken a few times, but what is broken evolves the most."
 
While a victory over Gaethje wouldn't guarantee Johnson a shot at coveted championship gold, it would go a long way toward putting him in the thick of a title picture that has been all but stalled. The Rashad Evans protege attempted to get things moving back in March when he tried to step in to fill the spot left vacant opposite Tony Ferguson when Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced to withdraw from their interim title bout at UFC 209.


Photo Credit; © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
 
Johnson is one of the few men to hold a victory over "El Cucuy," and while Ferguson initially seemed game, the promotion and fighters involved couldn't come to terms over the terms of the last-minute matchup.
 
Nevertheless, while Johnson wasn't able to square up and throw down with Ferguson at UFC 209, he does see himself as the man to pump some much needed life blood into what was long heralded as the deepest division under the promotional banner.
 
Johnson feels the lightweight fold just needs some "Menace" at his best, and the rest will take care of itself.
 
"I think I am that guy to move this division forward," Johnson said. "I just need to finish these fights. I need to get in there and make the most of my opportunities and make the most of the openings I create. I just need to be on point and I wasn't for my last fight. I fought the best in the world and and didn't come in there as my best. I was a little anxious in there and was too worried about what he wanted to do.
 
"Everybody keeps saying this division is a mess and I guess I need to be the cleaner. I need to get rid of the mess and tighten up the all these loose ends in this division. I just need to go in there and carry myself as I do. I need to go in there violent and everything will happen as I need it to. The takeover will start there."