UFC Fight Night 66 Date: May 16, 2015 Arena: SM Mall of Asia City: Pasay, Philippines Kajan Johnson (-130) vs Lipeng Zhang (+110) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 66 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will feature a lightweight scrap between TUF: Nations semi-finalist “Ragin'” Kajan Johnson and Lipeng “The Warrior” Zhang. Johnson is a slight favorite at -130 ($130 to win $100) heading into the contest, with Zhang being a slight underdog at +110 ($100 to win $110) at Several Bookmakerss. Kajan Johnson (19-11-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) made it to the semi-finals of TUF: Nations, where he lost to real-life team-mate Chad Laprise via brutal knockout that left him with a broken jaw. He made his promotional debut against South Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang and appeared to be technically outstriking Bang en route to a unanimous decision win, until Bang caught him in the third and final round, putting him out cold. Though he did suffer a defeat, earning ‘Fight of the Night’ honors took the sting off it for him. Following the vicious back-to-back knockouts, he considered hanging up the gloves, but was motivated to return to action by team-mate and training partner Rory MacDonald. Heading into the Octagon to square off against Zhang, he is very hungry for his first taste of UFC victory. Johnson puts together some nice combinations on the feet and has a nice kicking game, throwing solid leg kicks and excellent high kicks, both to the head and body of his opponents. He has very good footwork and head movement, and is generally a solid technical striker. His wrestling is decent and improving; he works some nice takedowns, including single-legs and body-locks. The Canadian trains out of the TriStar Gym in Montreal and has average conditioning; he is not a cardio machine but should have enough in the tank for a 15-minute contest, should this bout see it’s way to the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Lipeng Zhang (9-8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) defeated Wang Sai via controversial split decision in is UFC debut to become the TUF: China Season 1 winner. I personally scored that fight for Sai and considered it a robbery. In his next contest, he dropped down from welterweight down to the 155-pound division and defeated TUF: Smashes veteran Brendan O’Reilly via unanimous decision, but his luck ended there, as he lost a unanimous decision to Chris Wade in his next and latest outing at UFC Fight Night 59 five months ago. He now looks to bounce back into the win column heading into this contest against the TUF: Nations semi-finalist. The TUF China 1 winner possesses heavy hands and throws a hard over-hand right. He is a Southpaw who likes to switch stances and has decent technical striking skills, though he prefers to close the distance and do damage from inside the clinch, preferably leading to a takedown, and then some ground and pound and possibly a T/KO or submission finish. He works decent takedowns and reversals. His double-leg is pretty good, as well as his body-lock takedowns. Zhang is strong inside the clinch up against the cage, and in top position on the mat, where he likes to remain heavy on his opponents. He throws some heavy and effective leg and body kicks, and uses a good front-kick, as well. The 25-year old has solid takedown defense, and when taken down, he does a good job of finding his way back to his feet. He is a durable fighter with good cardio and an excellent chin who will be ready for three rounds of action, shoul the fight go the distance. Gabe’s Call: Johnson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Thoughts: This could end up being closer than I’d like, but in short, I think Johnson finds success in keeping this fight on the feet and outpointing Zhang over the course of three rounds to take a decision back home to Canada. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Johnson (-130) 2.6u to win 2u