Michael Johnson starched Dustin Poirier and then let him know it.
The UFC lightweight contender knocked out Poirier with a wicked combination at just 1:35 of the first round Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night 94 in Hidalgo, Texas. With doctors tending to Poirier, who was still down, Johnson walked over, made a gesture with his arms and shouted "f*ck you!"
The two talked a lot of trash before this fight in the lead up and almost came to blows Friday at weigh-ins. Johnson feinted like he was coming toward Poirier after the staredown and then Poirier put a finger in his face.
"The Menace" apologized for his post-fight antics on the FS1 post show.
Johnson, though, got the last laugh and elevated himself in the lightweight division with the big knockout. Johnson's striking looked very smooth and he was landing on Poirier even before the combo, culminating with a hard left hand, landed.
Johnson (17-10) came in having lost two straight, the most recent a unanimous decision defeat against Nate Diaz last December. Poirier was on a roll before the loss, having won four in a row after moving up from featherweight.
Afterward, Johnson said he wanted on the New York card against "anyone" and said he should be paid as much as Diaz and Conor McGregor, who had a "sparring match" at UFC 202.
In the co-main event, Derek Brunson made quick work of rival Uriah Hall by TKO in just 1:41. The two exchanged heated words on social media and in the press going into the fight, but Brunson was the one with his hand raised at the end — and it didn't take too long to accomplish.
Brunson clipped Hall with a left hand, sending him down to the canvas. Brunson followed up on the ground and referee Herb Dean waved off. Some felt it was a quick stoppage, but that was that.
Brunson (16-3) now has five straight wins, including four in a row by first-round knockout. He's one of the hottest fighters in the middleweight division. In his career, the North Carolina native has only lost to Yoel Romero, Ronaldo Souza and Kendall Grove. Hall (12-7) has now lost two in a row after his second-round TKO win over Gegard Mousasi in September 2015.
Very quietly, Evan Dunham has put together a very impressive stretch. He was at it again Saturday night, beating Rick Glenn by dominant unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The Las Vegas resident arguably should have won the first round 10-8 and clearly won every single round.
Dunham (18-6) has won four in a row now and was coming off a win over Joe Lauzon last December. Glenn (18-4-1), the former World Series of Fighting featherweight champion, was making his UFC debut on short notice. Abel Trujillo was Dunham's original opponent.
Also on the main card, Roan Carneiro defeated Kenny Robertson in a listless split decision and Islam Makhachev beat Chris Wade by unanimous decision in a back-and-forth grappling battle.
In one of the wildest fights — start to finish — in UFC history, Chas Skelly submitted Maximo Blanco with a d'arce choke in transition in just 19 seconds to open the main card. Both men opened the fight up by running at each other and attempting flying kicks. Skelly got the better of the exchange, landing the kick to Blanco's chest and sending him to the mat. Seconds later, the bout was over.
Skelly (16-2) has now won five of his last six fights and called out Darren Elkins, the man he lost to at UFC 196 in March, for a rematch. Blanco (12-8-1, 1 NC) has lost two in a row.
The best performance on the prelims far and away went to Gabriel Benitez, who defeated veteran Sam Sicilia via technical submission (guillotine) in the second round. Benitez won the first round with nasty inside leg kicks and then dropped Sicilia in the second. Moments later, "Moggly" found Sicilia's neck in a scramble and choked him unconscious.
Benitez (19-5), an Ultimate Fighter Latin America alum who trains out of American Kickboxing Academy, has now won three of four in the UFC. Sicilia (15-7) has now lost two straight.
Also on the prelims, Belal Muhammad defeated Augusto Montano by third-round TKO, Antonio Carlos Junior beat Leonardo Leleco by third-round submission and Jose Quinonez defeated Joey Gomez via unanimous decision.
On the early prelims, Randy Brown found a ninja choke submission in the third round to defeat Erick Montano and Albert Morales and Alejandro Perez fought to a majority draw.