Kajan Johnson (born April 21, 1984) is a retired Canadian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who most recently competed in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division of the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. A professional competitor since 2002, he is also known for competing '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia'' for Team Canada, as well as the MFC and

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Johnson made his MMA debut in 2002, going 4–4 by years end. Johnson then made his MFC debut losing to Chad Hanseh. Starting in October 2005, Johnson went 11–1–1 over five years with his only loss coming in a title fight for the KOTC Canadian Lightweight Championship against future

top contender and training partner Rory MacDonald. He also captured the XMMA Lightweight title. Johnson would make his return to MFC at

MFC 23 ''MFC 23: Unstoppable'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on December 4th, 2009 at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta. The main event featured former UFC contender Thales Leites taking ...

taking on Ryan Machan. He lost via submission in the first round. Johnson was set to take on Orestes Betran at

MFC 27 ''MFC 27: Breaking Point'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC) on November 12, 2010 at the River Cree Casino in Enoch, Alberta. Background This event featured an MFC Welterweight title fight between Do ...

. Betran then pulled out of the match and was replaced with a veteran of 29 fights at the time,

Ryan Healy Ryan Healy (born July 20, 1983) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who has competed for many promotions including Strikeforce, WEC, Shine Fights, and Full Contact Fighting Federation. He is also the twin brother of mixed-m ...

. He won via unanimous decision.

The Ultimate Fighter

In late 2013 it was announced that Johnson will be one of the Canadian fighters picked to be on TUF Nations Team Canada. In episode 1, Johnson is picked to fight first against Australia's own Brendan O’Reilly. Johnson states that he is injured, but that he always fights injured. Despite the injuries, Johnson implies he is still more dangerous than anybody else in the house. Johnson gives Canada their first win with a rear-naked choked in the first round. In episode 10, Johnson was set to face his teammate

Chad Laprise Chad Laprise (born July 23, 1986) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competed for the UFC in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Laprise won '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Austra ...

in the semi finals. Johnson lost via KO in the second round. Johnson's jaw was broken from the punch. After the show Johnson was noted as the reason for the removal of fellow TUF Nations contestant Tyler Manawaroa from the UFC after claiming Tyler was a racist due to an image posted on his personal Instagram. Tyler was of native New Zealand Maori descent and later explained it was the actions of a schoolboy making fun of himself and his own heritage, as in Australia many Aboriginals, Maoris and Polynesians consider themselves 'dark-skinned' or 'non-white'. Kajan later apologised though nevertheless Tyler was removed from the UFC roster and remains inactive yet undefeated .

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johnson made his promotional debut at UFC 174, taking on

Tae Hyun Bang Tae Hyun Bang (born April 15, 1983) is a South Korean mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2004, ...

. He lost via knockout in the third round. They both earned ''Fight of the Night'' honors. Johnson was then set to face

Zhang Lipeng Lipeng Zhang (Chinese name ''张立鹏''; born March 10, 1990), is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of ONE Championship. Zhang has also competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champions ...

on May 16, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 66 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 66'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 16, 2015, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

. He won via unanimous decision. Johnson faced

Naoyuki Kotani Naoyuki Kotani (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has formerly competed in PRIDE, Pancrase, UFC, Vale Tudo Japan, and RINGS. ...

on September 27, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 75 ''UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 75'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 27, 2015, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the fourth that the organization has ho ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Returning from a near two-year hiatus, Johnson faced Adriano Martins at

UFC 215 ''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 9, 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background The promotion was initially planning a PPV even ...

on September 9, 2017. He won the fight via knockout in the third round. Johnson was scheduled to face

Rustam Khabilov Rustam Khabilov (born 4 November 1986) is a Russian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. He is a Combat Sambo World Champion and a former member of the Legion Sport Club fight team in Rostov-on- ...

on March 17, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 127 ''UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 127'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 17, 2018, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background A heavy ...

. However, Khabilov pulled out of the fight citing injury and was replaced by

Stevie Ray Lash Steven Huffman (born August 22, 1958) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray is best known for his seven-year tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 200 ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Johnson faced

Islam Makhachev Islam Ramazanovich Makhachev (russian: Исла́м Рамаза́нович Маха́чев; born 27 October 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and former Sambo competitor. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in ...

on July 28, 2018, at

UFC on Fox 30 ''UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 30'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 28, 2018 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Background The ...

. He lost the fight via armbar submission in the first round. The fight with

was rescheduled and eventually took place on September 15, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 136 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 136'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 15, 2018 at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Background The ev ...

. Johnson lost the back-and-forth fight by split decision. 12 out of 13 media scores gave it to Johnson. On September 29, 2018, Johnson revealed that the fight with Khabilov was the last of his contract and the UFC had not made any attempts to re-sign him. He announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in 2020 after his release from the UFC.

Championships and achievements

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) *Xtreme MMA **XMMA Lightweight Title (One time) *

MMAJunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine'', ''ESPN The Ma ...

**2018 Robbery of the Year vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–13–1 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC on Fox: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:43 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 23–12–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 22–12–1 , Adriano Martins , KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 21–12–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–12–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber , May 16, 2015 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–12–1 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC 174 , June 14, 2014 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 19–11–1 , Richie Whitson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 31: Rundown , October 7, 2011 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 18–11–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , MFC 27: Breaking Point , November 12, 2010 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–11–1 , Ryan Machan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 23: Unstoppable , December 4, 2009 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:30 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 17–10–1 , Josh Russell , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Heat XC 4: Hysteria , November 6, 2009 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 16–10–1 , Steve Claveau , Submission (armbar) , XMMA 7: Inferno , February 27, 2009 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 15–10–1 , Samuel Guillet , Submission (armbar) , XMMA 6: House of Pain , November 8, 2008 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:52 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 14–10–1 , Zach Light , KO (punches) , EFC 6: Home Coming , October 11, 2008 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 13–10–1 , Douglas Evans , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Raw Combat: Resurrection , June 20, 2008 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, Canada , , - , Draw , align=center, 12–10–1 , Steve Claveau , Draw (majority) , XMMA 4 , May 17, 2008 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Saguenay, Quebec Saguenay ( , , ) is a city in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City by overland route. It is about upriver and northwest of Tadoussac, located at the confluence with the St. ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–10 , Rory MacDonald , TKO (elbows and punches) , KOTC Canada: Avalanche , December 15, 2007 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:48 ,

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 12–9 , Dave Pariseau , Submission (rear-naked choke) , EFC 5: Revolution , November 3, 2007 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 11–9 , Jason St. Louis , TKO (submission to punches) , KOTC Canada: Megiddo , April 28, 2007 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:54 ,

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearb ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–9 , Robert Hugus , Submission (armbar) , KOTC Canada: Detonator , September 29, 2006 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 9–9 , Todd Steen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Canada: Anarchy , February 11, 2006 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–9 , Gord Cummings , TKO (punches) , Extreme Fighting Challenge 4 , October 15, 2005 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–9 , Jesse Bongfeldt , TKO (corner stoppage) , Rites of Passage 2 , February 12, 2005 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:10 ,

Lethbridge, Alberta Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 7–8 , Roger Alves , Decision (split) , Extreme Fighting Challenge 3 , October 16, 2004 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–8 , Stephane Dube , KO (spinning back kick) , TKO 15: Unstoppable , February 28, 2004 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:06 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–7 , Thierry Quenneville , Decision (split) , TKO 14: Road Warriors , November 29, 2003 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Victoriaville, Quebec Victoriaville is a town in central Quebec, Canada, on the Nicolet River. Victoriaville is the seat of Arthabaska Regional County Municipality and a part of the Centre-du-Québec (Bois-Francs) region. It is formed by the 1993 merger of Arthabaska, ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–6 , Jaime Renne , Submission (triangle choke) , Western Freestyle Championships , October 12, 2003 , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–6 , Mike Adams , Decision (unanimous) , WFF 5: New Blood , June 28, 2003 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kelowna, British Columbia Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–5 , Jeremy Whittingham , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 7: Undisputed , May 31, 2003 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Slave Lake, Alberta Slave Lake is a town in northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is approximately northwest of Edmonton. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–5 , Chad Hamzeh , TKO (punches) , MFC 6: Road To Gold , February 22, 2003 , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–4 , Chris Ade , Decision (split) , XFC: Combat Showdown , November 23, 2002 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–4 , Justin Livingston , Decision (majority) , World Freestyle Fighting 3 , October 25, 2002 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Len Smith , Decision (unanimous) , Roadhouse Rumble 6 , October 5, 2002 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 ,

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, U ...

, TKO (submission to elbows) , North American Sport Fighting Invitational , September 7, 2002 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:56 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Aaron Krafczyk , TKO (submission to punches) , Border Town Brawl , July 27, 2002 , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Lloydminster, Alberta Lloydminster is a city in Canada which has the unusual geographic distinction of straddling the Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city is incorporated by both provinces as a single city ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Pedro Albuquerque , TKO (exhaustion) , Extreme Fighting Challenge 1 , June 2, 2002 , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Justin Jones , TKO (submission to punches) , Ultimate Ring Challenge 2 , April 27, 2002 , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Eric Harvey , TKO (submission to punches) , Roadhouse Rumble 5 , February 23, 2002 , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

, KO (punch) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia , March 19, 2014 (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , rowspan=2,

Quebec City, Quebec Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is th ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brendan O’Reilly , Submission (rear-naked choke) , January 15, 2014 (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Kajan Living people Sportspeople from British Columbia 1984 births Canadian male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Lightweight mixed martial artists