Red-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight Michael Johnson is closing in fast on a division title shot, but also acknowledges the mounting challenge ahead.

The No. 5 ranked 155-pound contender asked for former champion Benson Henderson following his one-sided dismissal of Edson Barboza back in Feburary, and will now face "Smooth" on July 12 on FOX Sports 1 (more on that fight here).

A winner of four-straight fights, "Menace" is fully aware of what's at stake when he steps into the cage at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 21 finale, especially because of the roller coaster of a ride he took to get to this point in his Octagon career.

Johnson's father passed away when he was still in elementary school and it took a toll on the young Missourian. His mother, Therese, took sole care of her three sons, with Michael being the youngest of the trio. He was involved in physical altercations with students moving forward, which in turn made it difficult for Johnson to focus on his schoolwork.

"I guess you can kind of say my dad's passing made me a little bit more aggressive," recalled Johnson. "It probably did do that. It was hard on me and my brothers so it definitely changed me."

A death in the family, especially one that's as early in a child's life as was the case with Johnson, can stunt growth and will sometimes carry everlasting effects. A father and son connection is important. Having an attentive father as a healthy role model can help a son accept his own masculinity, which will often result in a more authentic and integrated young man, says marriage and family therapist Robert Glover.

With that being said, Johnson's reaction was natural as a boy. His focus was displaced and he dispensed his anger onto others. Though it initially had negative repercussions, Johnson eventually corralled his emotions, turning something deeply unfortunate into fuel for his already-sweltering desire for competition.

"It's not the real reason I started fighting," Johnson said. "MMA was something that I always wanted to do. I just never had the time being a three-sport athlete in high school, I never had the time to train."

He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and went to Marquette High School, where he joined the football, wrestling, track, and volleyball teams. When it came to the gridiron, Johnson was a versatile performer, playing both sides of the ball.

Johnson was comparable to a dual-threat athlete, like former Chicago Bears electric playmaker Devin Hester, who also ran track in his days playing for the University of Miami. Except Johnson, unlike Hester, was not only quick on his feet, but a bruising and intimidating force wherever he lined up.

"I was a running back and strong safety," said Johnson. "I also played offense with like a defensive mindset. I wasn't trying to get out of the way of people. I'm more like, 'They're in my way, I'm going to run you over.'"

That type of attitude is what originally saw him consider a career in the NFL. Johnson attributes much of what he's been able to accomplish fighting in the UFC to his athletic base, which he forged through his days of playing high school and college football.

Upon being recruited to play defense for Division-I Central Methodist University, an NAIA school, Johnson weighed close to 200 pounds. Although the original game plan by the coaching staff of the Eagles was to have the thunderous talent play defense, he had other ideas.

"I told the coach 'I want to play offense. I want to be a running back.' That's what I wanted to do, so they gave me a chance at running back," said Johnson.

After playing one season at running back for Central Methodist, Johnson chartered course to a significantly larger school, Meramec Community College, which was about 140 miles away in Kirkland, Missouri. He took up public relations and business -- even briefly returning to the football field -- before realizing that the world of combat sports is where he was destined to "make money and make a living."

Inside the confines of the Archers' gymnasium is where Johnson would put together a wrestling campaign that would elevate his name to be included with that of the best wrestlers in the country. From there, Johnson moved to Springfield and attended Missouri State for a short time, but soon found most of his time being spent in the gym hitting pads and mats, rather than books.

Johnson's upstart mixed martial arts (MMA) career was spurred through the training he received at The Springfield Fight Club. In 2008, at the age of 21, he began fighting professionally at a rapid pace. Johnson competed in 12 MMA bouts in the span of two years, capturing two different lightweight titles along the way, but those numbers don't tell the full extent of his beginnings.

Despite getting his hand raised eight times, the powerful and athletic Johnson was also green. He was submitted in each of the four fights he lost. These were just things that happened to inexperienced wrestlers who were new to the fight game. He was only going to get better and smooth out his rough edges. Either that, or continue on a downward path in the sport.

While Johnson remained focused on the process of progress, he also had his goals set high. He wanted to fight in the Octagon.

Johnson, through the help of some sponsors at the time, tracked down the producers of the UFC's successful reality show and followed them across the country between 2008-2010. He tried out for season eight and nine, before landing a spot on the Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck-led edition. The initial rejections never spurned his confidence; it only gave him more motivation to prove them wrong.

"I had a goal and wanted to reach it. In order for me to reach that goal, I felt the best way for me to get to that goal was to go through TUF. I kept trying out and got denied. I went all the way to Vegas and got denied the first time," said Johnson of his troubles getting to the big stage. "I'm like 'Okay well, I have to keep going.' That's exposure you're going to get, you know building up. You're not thrown in there with all these guys that have fought in the UFC before. That was my main goal that I had.

Pretty much, the last interview I had, I told them 'I'm getting tired of chasing you guys across the country. You need to put me in this season.' I guess they were like, 'We're getting tired of seeing you chase us around the country, we're going to give you a shot.'"

And to whom much is given, much is tested. Johnson made it into the TUF house by defeating ground specialist Pablo Garza. He was then subsequently picked second by the welterweight champion at the time, St. Pierre, and was on his way to becoming the runner up of season 12.

Johnson faced adversity, and displayed grit and toughness in each of his three fights in the house against Aaron Wilkinson, Alex Caceres, and Nam Phan. In the show's finale, he lost a hard-fought decision to Jonathan Brookins. Then came a period of stagnation for the Missouri native, along with some growing pains.

"Right after TUF, it took them awhile to get me a fight in the UFC. I think it was six months after the finale. I used that time to dedicate myself. I went in and got a first-round knockout but ended up losing my second fight," Johnson said. "Then I'm thinking like 'Oh shit, I need to work on some things.' Maybe I'm not ready yet. Then, I came back and won three in a row. I was sitting on this high horse and I made the mistake that every fighter makes probably, and they never admit to it, but I felt I was unbeatable."

His early victories over fellow high-level wrestlers Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson, and Danny Castillo were thwarted by one-sided beatdowns at the hands of Myles Jury and Reza Madadi; the former of which was particularly frustrating.

"I had trained with him [Myles] before so I thought that I'd go in there and beat him, no problem. He got the best of me. He ended up beating me and I was still really sour about that and I went in and lost two in a row," said Johnson. "At that point, that's when a lot of things changed for me, you know? You're on the cusp of being cut. I'm thinking like 'What the hell am I going to do? I can't work a regular desk job. I don't want to go back to school.' I remade myself."

After experiencing several bumps in the road, Johnson knew he had to go back to the drawing board. The physical attributes were there. He had the wrestling ability and knockout power, but he was being manhandled by fighters he knew that he could beat. He had to refine his game plan without getting too far ahead of himself. Johnson's new team at the Blackzilians camp in Boca Raton, Florida, helped him achieve that goal.

"One of the main reasons we're successful is because we're in the gym, making sure we get what we need from each other," Johnson said. "Then the coaches in there, they've just done wonders for my career. I've been working with Jake [Bonacci] for my last four fights and you've seen the product. You see his work and then you've got Henri [Hooft] and Greg Jones and Jorge Santiago."

Since the Madadi loss, Johnson has been on a tear, capturing wins over Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, Melvin Guillard and most recently, Barboza. In each of the aforementioned tilts, Johnson's overall MMA game progressed to new heights. He was even beating his opponents standing, which was once considered one of his glaring weaknesses.

"Michael Johnson to me is definitely a contender and can hang with the best. I'm just glad that he's finally starting to grow into that," said teammate and former UFC champ Rashad Evans. "I've been with Michael since we first started the Blackzilians and just to watch him develop as a fighter and a person has been tremendous."

With his last victory over Barboza, which came after a near one-year layoff due to a torn labrum, Johnson jumped up into the upper echelon of the 155-pound division. It was a leap that was indicative of all of the time and effort he put into his evolution as an MMA fighter.

"I had Rashad there. He was in Brazil with me, and my coaches, of course. Then I fought with Cezar [Ferreira]; he fought right before me. The feeling; it felt great. After almost a year layoff, it felt really good to get in there and get a win the way I did," remembers Johnson.

The Barboza win also brought forth a stark reminder that success can be lost just as quickly as it's achieved and nobody knows that more than Johnson.

"Nevertheless, I looked at it as in, 'Okay, now this win makes everything harder now and the competition gets tougher,'" said Johnson. "My training has to step up another notch. I've got to be more dedicated and focused on the sport."

Johnson's next assignment is Henderson, who he will face at the TUF 21 finale. With a win over "Smooth," the No. 5 ranked lightweight, who recently began preparations for their July 12 tussle, will be in prime position for a title shot. And as always, he's going to let his fighting do all the talking.

"The other fighters who do all the talking and end up getting their way, like they talk their way into title fights. Good for them, hats off to them. It's just not me," exclaims Johnson. "I rather fight my way up the rankings. I rather have people look at me and say 'Hey, he's fought his way up. That guy deserves his title shot.'"