MN man has shot at $1M prize in MMA competition

Minnesota MMA fighter going for $1M prize

Minnesotan MMA fighter, 39-year-old Tim Johnson, is fighting for a $1 million prize in the Professional Fighters League Playoffs. FOX 9's Pierre Noujaim has the story.

(FOX 9) - An unlikely turn of events has put an MMA fighter from Minnesota two fights away from a million-dollar prize.

How the opportunity came about?

"I got a phone call, you know, 'You want to be a fill-in fighter?' Basically, just make weight, show up, and you don't have to fight," explained Tim Johnson. "You get paid to make weight and I was like, 'Yeah, sounds good.'"

However, Johnson was later informed that he would have to actually compete. Despite only four days of training, he earned a first-round technical knockout victory, securing a spot in the PFL playoffs and a chance to change his family’s life.

"Bills will be taken care of, we don’t have to worry about the gas man coming and turning off our gas or anything or power," he said. "We can just concentrate on fighting."

Who is Tim Johnson?

Outside of the cage, Johnson, 39, hauls livestock for a living. He is soon to be a father of three and previously spent ten years in the U.S. National Guard. His experience makes him unafraid of trading punches in the octagon.

"Everything’s relative so cage fighting is easy compared to driving down the road looking for roadside bombs," he told FOX 9.

Nothing to lose

Johnson is now two wins away from claiming the big prize. Friday, he will face Dennis Goltsov in the semifinals. Johnson acknowledges he’s considered a heavy underdog. "Dennis is a hundred times better fighter than I am in every aspect of MMA so I have no pressure on me at all. If there’s any pressure it’s all on Dennis."

This has the makings of a true Cinderella story. While Johnson isn’t technically a million-to-one shot, he knows that landing the right shot Friday night could be worth a million in cash.

"I think somebody with nothing to lose is more dangerous than someone that has everything to lose," he said.

How to watch the PFL fight?

The semi-final fight will be shown Friday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN and ESPN+. If Johnson wins Friday night, he will advance to the PFL finals, which are scheduled for November.