We're back with our coverage of UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer as we bring you another betting prediction and pick for this next bout taking place in the Lightweight (155 ) Division. UFC veteran Michael Johnson will take on Iowa's Darrius Flowers in close fight on the betting odds. Check out our UFC odds series for our Johnson-Flowers prediction and pick.

Michael Johnson (21-19) has gone 13-15 in well over a decade of fighting since 2010. He's still going strong at 37 years of age and he's gone a modest 2-3 in his last five fights. His most recent win came against Marc Diakese in 2022 when he took the scorecards unanimously, but got knocked out by a right hand in his last bout. He'll be looking for redemption as the betting favorite. Johnson stands 5'10” with a 73.5-inch reach.

Darrius Flowers (12-6-1) is 0-1 in his UFC career after earning a roster spot on Contender Series. He faced Jake Matthews at Welterweight for his debut and he was clearly outsized and outmatched in the grappling as he fell to a guillotine choke. He'll make the cut down to 155 for this fight as he feels his frame will fit this division better. Flowers stands 5'9″ with a 72-inch reach.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC Vegas 86 Odds: Michael Johnson-Darrius Flowers Odds

Michael Johnson: -139

Darrius Flowers: +119

Over 1.5 rounds: -120

Under 1.5 rounds: -110

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Why Michael Johnson Will Win

Michael Johnson's resume speaks for itself and there's not many things he hasn't seen inside of the octagon. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson, and Josh Emmett are all just a few names on the long resume for Johnson over the last 14 years. While he's in the twilight of his career, he still shows flashes of great hand speed and looked to be in phenomenal shape against Marc Diakese during his last win. His cardio is certainly there and he feels at-home in this weight class, so expect Johnson to try and put together another boxing clinic as he welcomes Flowers to his native division.

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Flowers will be coming back at Johnson with some serious power and given that he was knocked out in his last fight, he'll want to avoid any clean looping shots. The off-switch is much more prevalent later in fighters' careers, so Johnson will have to be defensively sound and equally as tough as he's been his whole career. He'll be the slightly longer guy and could see success if he keeps this fight in boxing range. Flowers also isn't very active with his kicks, so Johnson could stand to exploit the mismatch and start chopping at his opponent's legs. Both fighters are very competent on the ground and Johnson is often slept-on for how good of a wrestler he is. Look for the grappling to cancel-out as Johnson welcomes a kickboxing fight.

Why Darrius Flowers Will Win

Darrius Flowers won his DWCS fight by picking his opponent up and slamming him on the ground, inadvertently injuring his opponent's shoulder. The immediate impression was at his crazy power and strength that directly translates to his grappling and jiu-jitsu game. Still, all the power lies in his hands and he believes that he can be a world champion now that he's at his true fighting weight class. We're still waiting to see how he'll look on the scales, but he should come in looking strong and transferring over his power. It works well against a fighter like Johnson as he'll constantly be threatening with the knockout shot.

To get this win against Michael Johnson, Darrius Flowers won't be able to sit in range and play Johnson's striking game. He'll have to work inside and put Johnson on his back foot to negate some of his striking output. While Johnson may be the more skilled wrestler, Flowers has the ability to muscle his way out on the ground and could be a handful to keep down for Johnson. Instead, look for Flowers to be the aggressor as he clinches along the fence and tries to wear Johnson out before an eventual takedown.

Final Michael Johnson-Darrius Flowers Prediction & Pick

This will be a great fight and it's good to see Michael Johnson getting the respect he deserves as the betting favorite in this one. He's had some tough knockouts over the last few fights, but he continues to show glimpses of striking that indicate his career is far from over. It'll be very interesting to see Darrius Flowers in his new weight class and we'll get a chance to gauge how willing he'll be to stand and strike with Johnson.

Michael Johnson certainly has the better chance of striking his way to a decision win in this one, but it may be a bad matchup against a hungry newcomer like Darrius Flowers. Flowers will also be confident fighting at Lightweight for the first time and we could see him find a permanent home in this new weight class. Let's go with the underdog Flowers for our prediction.

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Final Michael Johnson-Darrius Flowers Prediction & Pick: Darrius Flowers (+119)