Omar Johnson In the summer of 2008, after his freshman year as a member of the Samford University football team, Omar Johnson wanted some extra conditioning. He had been a fan of MMA since high school in Mobile, Ala., and now that he was living and training in Birmingham, he thought he could find a nearby gym and get some extra work in. On his first day at Spartan Fitness, he was asked if he wanted to do some sparring. He was a sturdy defensive back who had played with future major college football stars in high school and now was on his way to a notable career of his own at Samford. Of course, he thought, he could hold his own. “So I go in against Marcus Brimage ,” Johnson told MMAjunkie of the now-UFC fighter.