DONTE JOHNSON | GOD’S PLAN

“God gave me clarity because after the fight, I was kind of in a weird headspace because I didn’t get the finish, and obviously the world wants the finish, the world wants the knockout, they want the most violent thing,” he resumed. “But at the end of the day, I’m not here to please nobody but God. We went out there and got the finish, and I was able to learn what I needed to learn, and I was able to show everybody I’m not just about here putting people to sleep —I can choke’m to sleep, I can grapple; we’re well-rounded and one of the most deadliest weapons on the planet.

“It was good. It worked out the way God intended it to.”

As soon as Johnson was done with his debut and was in celebration mode, his phone rang with a unique proposition.

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Fellow middleweight newcomer Jackson McVey was scheduled to fight the following weekend back at the Meta APEX, but his original opponent was forced to withdraw just prior to fight week. With the UFC searching for a replacement, Johnson’s name was brought up, leading to a very quick call between the Wisconsin native and his manager.

“My manager calls me and he’s like, ‘Hey — d’you wanna fight this weekend?’ and it’s kind of crazy because I had a feeling that I was gonna fight again like very soon,” Johnson said with an easy smile, recounting the exciting moments when he was briefly going to join the short list of competitors to fight on consecutive UFC events. “God told me, ‘Stay ready; don’t go to the buffet again. Stop eating like the way you’ve been eating,’ and I did.

“I ended up getting that phone call a couple hours later.

“God had other plans, but He just made sure I was ready, and He knew I was, and the whole world knew I was because I accepted it,” continued Johnson, who accepted the fight with McVey, but was ruled out by the commission; Zachary Reese ended up stepping in and submitting “The Moose” in the second round. “The Nevada Commission didn’t let it go through because we went into the second round. If we would have stayed in the first round, I believe the fight would have went through, but everything worked out the way it was supposed to because I’m back here.

“It kept me grounded, so I’m very grateful for the way things worked out.”

A devotedly religious man who sees his purpose in this sport as being to spread the word of God and inspire as many people as possible with his story and with his actions, Johnson views every twist and turn in the road as a part of God’s plan, trusting in His intentions.

While he was eager to hustle back into the Octagon following his debut win, if that had happened, perhaps he wouldn’t be here, days away from facing Brundage at T-Mobile Arena, where the middleweights will share the honor of being the first UFC fight to be broadcast on CBS.

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“Same thing: my opponent got hurt, Mr. Brundage stepped up — thanks to him —we got moved up on the card, and now we’re making history; now I’m going to be the first ever fight on CBS,” began Johnson, who was originally scheduled to face Dusko Todorovic before the dangerous Serbian was forced out of the contest and replaced by Brundage; it’s the second time in as many fights that the Season 9 DWCS alum has faced a switch ahead of fight night. “So again, God is exceeding my expectations; that’s a blessing.

“Absolutely not, not anymore,” he said when asked if competing on network television brings any additional nerves or pressure. “God made sure I was well prepared before I got here —mentally, spiritually, emotionally —to maintain and to stay grounded, to stay focused on Him and His Kingdom, no matter how many cameras, no matter how many compliments; it doesn’t matter.”

Just as he did when his debut switched from fellow Wisconsin man Nick Klein to Dumas, Johnson was quick to roll with the punches when this latest change occurred and is admittedly more excited by the pairing with the veteran Brundage than he was the initial matchup with Todorovic.

“I love (the matchup),” he said, the smile on his face growing wider. “I’ll fight anybody. You tell me to fight Godzilla, I’m gonna sign on that dotted line without even asking. We’re gonna find a way to defeat Godzilla.

“But I like it, I like the matchup —he’s game, which is good. Dusko, Mr. Dusko, he would have been moving a little more, but Brundage is gonna be right there. He’s gonna try to grab my legs once he realizes certain things, and yeah, it’s a good matchup. It’s one for the fans, I tell you that, because Brundage ain’t no h**. He’s gonna go out there, and he’s gonna come swinging, and that’s awesome.”

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After a strong debut and showing he’s ready to battle anyone at any time, Johnson is eager to kick off his 2026 by making a statement on Saturday night, but not for himself.

“(I want to make) the biggest (statement) I can possibly make, but obviously, most importantly, the one that actually matters, which is spreading God’s word and His gospel; keeping His name in my mouth at all times seeing as I am blessed with cameras and eyes and on this platform,” he said when asked about his aims heading into his sophomore appearance in the Octagon. “That was part of the deal.

“I’ve got a good story to inspire the young Dontes out there, the young kids out there, or maybe somebody that’s just going through something, and my main goal is to bring people closer to God through what I’m doing. So any type of inspiration I can give off, any type of words I can give off to the next person, any type of energy I can expose that people can take and use it for good, (that’s what I’m looking to do).”

McKenzie Pavacich contributed to this story.