LONDON – Kajan Johnson is aware that being a vocal proponent for change in the way major fight promotions treat their athletes might end up affecting his own professional fighting career.

But how can he be a truthful representation of himself inside the cage if he’s not doing the same outside of it?

Johnson first made waves last March when he interrupted a presentation at the UFC Athlete Retreat to call out apparel-maker Reebok. Now, one year later, he is on the board of Project Spearhead, a fighter-led effort to unionize professional mixed martial artists.

In the meantime, he remains an active part of the UFC’s lightweight roster. And you can imagine how that could create some tension between the promotion and Johnson (22-11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who looks to add a fourth straight win to his record when he meets Stevie Ray (21-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 127 on Saturday.

As far as fight week goes, though, Johnson says it has been business as usual. The people with whom he’s dealt directly, he says, have always been nice and helpful and remain that way. Any issue that someone may ultimately take with him, he figures, would probably lie within an echelon with which he has no personal contact.

In the bigger picture, though, has there been any change?

“Since I have been speaking out, I’ve noticed that I’m not really as high on cards anymore,” Johnson told MMAjunkie. “The last one, I was the last fight on the card. And there may be other factors here, but I’m just looking at it from my perspective. Last fight, I was the first one on the card. This fight, I’m the third one on the card. Before that, I was always close to the top of the prelims. Or, my very first fight, I was the first fight on the main card.”

So, yes, “maybe” he has been treated differently lately. But, even if that is the case, Johnson doesn’t care anymore.

“That fear isn’t worth it to me,” Johnson said. “I have to be able to be myself. For me to be able to go and perform properly. For me to go and be able to be honest in the cage, in front of millions of people, I have to be honest in my day-to-day life. This is part of my day-to-day life now. Before, I used to hold back. I used to show pieces of myself. Now I’m willing to show my whole self.

“If that ruffles some feathers, it ruffles some feathers. If it forces me to get harder fights, bring it on. The last guy (Adriano Martins) was real hard. Everybody said I wasn’t going to win, and look what happens. It is what it is.

“If you give me harder fights, I’m going to rise up the ranks faster, because they’re higher-ranked. Sure, give me harder fights. Give me the hardest fights. Give me the champion. Go right ahead.”

It helps that Johnson has put himself in the position, financially, to somewhat detach himself from the promotion. Sure, it’s certainly a great bonus that he can make money off of fighting professionally. But, between his gym and other endeavors, he doesn’t depend on it.

But, ultimately, speaking up is just part of who he is. The son of a Black Panther and stepson of a vocal First Nations Chief, Johnson takes after his “revolutionary-type” family in his battle for social injustice. Whether it’s systemic discrimination against First Nations people in Canada, racism in America, or environmental causes, Johnson has been an advocate for causes he cares about.

Why would things be different now?

“It’s just something that’s been a part of me,” Johnson said. “When I see something there’s an issue, especially an issue where nobody is willing to say anything about it. Everybody seems to be really scared to say something about it. I don’t really fear the UFC. I’ve created a situation where they can’t own me anymore. My wealth and my sustainability is no longer tied to them directly.”

Johnson is not only talking about it: He’s also, along with UFC bantamweight and Project Spearhead president Leslie Smith, making a big push to get the effort to take off among his peers. And while that involves a balancing act – this fight week, for instance, Smith had to do a lot of the heavy-lifting when it came to sending out messages – it’s one that, for now, Johnson has been able to maintain.

Of course, Project Spearhead isn’t the first attempt at bringing fighters together to work toward these goals. But there are a few reasons why Johnson is optimistic that some change might finally be effected. As opposed to previous efforts like the MMAFA, which Johnson also supported, this one is more inclusive – even if you don’t support unionizing specifically, he explains, you’re still welcome to join it.

But, most importantly, it’s made by the very people that will benefit the most from a more merit-based, fair employment system.

“We are not being lead by some giant mucky muck who’s a lawyer,” Johnson said. “Or someone who’s a promoter or a former promoter. There’s no one on the outside that’s going to control us. This is a for fighters, by fighters organization. A grassroots organization. So I think that really is the key. And that’s what gives us the power.”

Whatever changes that may incur from these efforts may never even be experienced first-hand by Johnson, who figures he’ll either be done or close to done by then. But, ultimately, this isn’t about him.

“The way I was brought up, because I was raised in a reservation, I was brought up with a lot of First Nations culture and traditions,” Johnson said. “And one of the main stays is that culture is: You need to make the world and make the entire Earth, every system, a better place for the next seven generations.

“You need to protect the next seven generations. So this is part of what I’m doing. This is one of the reasons I’m doing this. This is for the next seven generations of martial artists. So they’re not being oppressed like we were.”

For those who wish to learn more about Johnson’s stances on fighter rights and Project Spearhead, we highly recommend that you watch his full, impassioned interview above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.