ST. LOUIS – Michael Johnson got the biggest obstacle out of the way when he made weight for his featherweight debut, and now he gets to enjoy the benefits.

Perhaps the most obvious one? He no longer has to try to knock out lightweights who look more like middleweights after rehydrating by fight night.

Tonight in a UFC Fight Nigh 124 main-card bout, Johnson (17-12 MMA, 9-8 UFC) drops from 155 pounds to 145 and meets surging contender Darren Elkins (23-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), who’s now No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings thanks to a five-fight winning streak and MMAjunkie’s “2017 Comeback of the Year.”

We spoke to Johnson prior to Saturday’s weigh-ins, and though the 31-year-old Missouri native, whose main-card bout airs on FS1 from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, admitted to having literal nightmares about the weight cut, he can now focus on new life in a new division.

“I’m going to bring the same thing at featherweight that I did at lightweight,” said Johnson, who looks to break out of a 1-4 skid. “You know, there’s no big difference. My speed’s going to be the same, (and I’ll) probably be faster. My power is definitely going to be better, and I’ll be extremely more powerful.

“These guys are – it’s obvious, they’re littler. I’m not having to try to knock out guys that are weighing 185 pounds when I’m fighting them. So, that’s going to be a good change for me.”

Still, Johnson, who has eight knockouts in 17 career wins – and who has past victories over the likes of Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza and Joe Lauzon – knows it works both ways. Especially against someone like Elkins, one of the sport’s most durable fighters.

“It’s a fight, man,” Johnson said. “We’ve both got little gloves on, and we’re going to swing punches, so anybody lose at any given time in this fight.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 124, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.