UFC 318 Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber Predictions, Picks & Odds

Tonight's main card of UFC 318 begins with a lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Daniel Zellhuber — two fighters at very different points in their careers.

The 39-year-old Johnson is set for the 44th fight of his professional career, while 26-year-old Zellhuber will make just his sixth appearance in the UFC odds as he looks to bounce back from a loss to Esteban Ribovics.

I’ll break down why the younger man should have the edge in my Johnson vs. Zellhuber predictions for Saturday, July 19.

Johnson vs Zellhuber prediction and best bet

• My fight prediction: Zellhuber moneyline (-650 at BET99)
  
  
• My best bet: Zellhuber by decision (+170 at BET99)

Fight analysis
Daniel Zellhuber will look to bounce back from a split decision loss to Esteban Ribovics at UFC 306 last September — a three-round war that saw both men combine for 277 significant strikes and earn a Fight of the Night bonus for their efforts.

Some of Zellhuber’s weaknesses were certainly exposed in that fight — namely, his inability to capitalize on an eight-inch reach advantage and his willingness to take damage in the pocket against a smaller fighter.

But by that same token, we also learned that "Golden Boy" is extremely durable and boasts an impressive gas tank.

Michael Johnson enters the fray on a two-fight win streak, though victories against Darrius Flowers and Ottman Azaitar — two guys who may not be in the UFC much longer — are not all that notable.

If Zellhuber comes in with the same devil-may-care attitude as his last fight, I expect Johnson to land his fair share of blows. However, Golden Boy has never been knocked out in his 17-fight career, and that iron chin was definitely on display against Ribovics.

The worst-case scenario for Zellhuber is that this fight comes down to the third round, where I’m confident he’ll pull out the win as the fresher and faster fighter.

Best bet analysis
While Zellhuber is a talented striker, he hasn’t shown much in the way of knockout power at the UFC level. 

In fact, five of Golden Boy's last six fights have gone to decision since appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2021, with his only finish coming via anaconda choke.

Johnson is also extremely durable in his own right, being knocked out just three times in his 17-year career and submitted just once in his last 12 bouts.

I see Zellhuber by decision as the most likely outcome here, although Zellhuber by submission at +350 could also be worth a sprinkle.

Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber odds

Method of Victory	Johnson	Zellhuber
To win outright	+440	-650
To win by KO/TKO	+1450	+150
To win by decision	+800	+170
To win by submission	+6000	+335
Draw	+2500	+2500

Odds as of 7-19.

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Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber tale of the tape

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