Kajan Johnson (photo via UFC)

By Kelsey Mowatt

While some fighters on the UFC roster will tell you they prefer to fight close to home, or at least, within a short flight from it, Kajan Johnson clearly isn’t one of them.

Having to travel overseas for a fight can present several challenges for a fighter, at a time, of course, when they’re trying to minimize them. Not only can fighting abroad lead to issues in terms of jet lag and adjusting to a new sleeping schedule, but sourcing certain foods can also be problematic.

While these challenges have prompted some athletes to say they’re not up for international fights, not only will Johnson take him, he wants to compete around the world.

“I’m really still not all about fighting within North America,” Johnson said on a recent episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, while discussing his hopes for the future. “If I’m going to fight in North America, they’re not going to fight a guy from the United States and me to Europe to fight each other. There’s always going to be a guy from that country or that area versus me, if I want to fight in Europe or Brazil.”

“Those are my next two places I want to go and experience. I’ve done the Asian thing now. I asked for (South) Korea; I’m not sure if I’m going to get it, if I did, that would be dope, but if not, I’d like to go fight in Europe somewhere. Somewhere like Scotland, or Poland, or Sweden or something like that…

In May, Johnson headed to the Philippines for UFC Fight Night 66, and earned a unanimous decision win over Lipeng Zhang. Then, in September, he travelled to Japan and scored a UD victory over Naoyuki Kotani at UFC FN 75.”

“I still want to experience the world. I’m not getting paid a ton right now. I’m still at the bottom, minimum wage, so, if I’m going to be fighting for cheap, I want a free trip,” Johnson added while laughing. “So I want to go see some places that I wouldn’t be paying to go see. I’m not going to ever pay to go to Tokyo, but to go fight there and get a free trip, it’s amazing. It’s a great experience. If I’m paying, I’m going to like Madagascar, or somewhere hot and tropical.”

The 31 year-old Johnson currently carries a record of 21-11-1.