British MMA star Marc Diakiese believes a win over Michael Johnson at UFC Orlando sets him up for a bumper year in 2023.
'Bonecrusher' was previously known for his flashy strikes but, as of late, he's become quite the grappler and the style change is certainly working well.
Diakiese was known for his elite-level striking
The 29-year-old scored his second consecutive win by beating Damir Hadzovic at UFC London in July after derailing Viacheslav Borschev's hype train earlier this year.
While his new grappling-heavy style has shocked fight fans, the man from Doncaster claims he's always had wrestling skills but just never used them.
"I've always been a good wrestler. I just didn't show it much as I fell in love with striking maybe too much," Diakiese told talkSPORT.
"You've got to mix things up. It's MMA, you can't just stand there as people will read your game. I'm trying to mix things up which I am doing now.
"It's not just me being a wrestler, I'm trying to be an MMA fighter.
"I'm evolving, you never know what I'm going to do now. That's the most exciting thing about me now because you don't know what I'm going to do."
Now he's added wrestling to his game
Johnson has mixed it with the very best UFC fighters
Diakiese will look to make it three in a row at the Amway Center in Florida on Saturday night against an Ultimate Fighter runner-up who has mixed it with the elite years.
Johnson has struggled as of late, losing five of his past six fights but at the peak of his power, the American wrestler-turned-knockout artist beat Tony Ferguson, stopped Dustin Poirier, and even picked up a win over Conor McGregor's former friend Artem Lobov.
'The Menace' pushed Justin Gaethje to the brink of defeat when they fought and he also shared the Octagon with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz.
So, Diakiese is delighted to have the chance to add Johnson to his CV this weekend, he added: "He's a great opponent.
But it hasn't always gone his way
Diakiese wants to add his name to the list of elite fighters who hold a win over Johnson
"I believe if you beat him a lot of doors open for you. So, that's one of the reasons I took this fight, to really test myself and see where I am at.
"I know if I get past him a lot of options will open up for me. I'll get ranked top 15 and start climbing up the rank. That's the main reason I picked him, he's a very respectable opponent.
The 14-5 fighter was encouraged after seeing Leon Edwards win the welterweight belt earlier this year and believes that after suffering a few setbacks he is ready to mount his own title challenge in the next few years.
"It's a long road but if you look at most of the champions, they are 32-35 [years old]," Diakiese pointed out.
"I didn't lose outside the UFC. I didn't lose as an amateur. To me, these losses were just me learning and I feel like I'm coming to a place where I understand the game. I know how to get to it [UFC title].
"I know how to fight at championship level, what kind of team I need to have, and what people I need to have around me.
"It's all about making progress in this game."
