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Ranking the Remaining 2014 UFC Title Fights

Even without pay-per-view penchants Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre, the greatest MMA promotion on the face of the planet found a way to give its fans several memorable title bouts through the first half of 2014.
Whether it was TJ Dillashaw’s…

Whether it was TJ Dillashaw’s dismantling of reigning bantamweight champion Renan Barao at UFC 173, the back and forth battle between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler for the vacant welterweight strap at UFC 171, or Demetrious Johnson’s dominant, but routinely underappreciated, performance against Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174, the UFC has put on its fair share of jaw-dropping moments.

With six months left in the calendar year, Dana White and friends are looking to expand upon their already relatively successful year without either of the promotion’s biggest pay-per-view draws.

All of these fights garner the world’s attention, but only some of them will likely quench the thirst they’ve created within the MMA community.

Read on to see how the remaining 2014 UFC title fights stack up against each other.

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Demetrious Johnson Makes a Claim for Top UFC Pound-for-Pound Spot

Demetrious Johnson looked like the epitome of the word dominant when he defeated Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174. Commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg spoke in awe of the champion’s speed, technique and skill as he controlled nearly every aspect of the f…

The UFC has Johnson sitting as the fourth-best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but the question has come up whether or not he has what it takes to be considered the best in MMA.

“Mighty Mouse” has continued to look light-years ahead of every other man in the flyweight division. His victory over Ali gave him his four straight title defenses since capturing the belt in September 2012. Each time he wins, he’s demonstrated a level of improvement that others have yet to match. It’s this continued separation that makes Johnson’s reign as champion quite different from the other titleholders within the UFC.

Since becoming the UFC’s first flyweight champion, Johnson has flown under the radar. He was originally tucked away on the UFC’s free televised events on the Fox platform. It seemed that he was charged with leading a weight class that was struggling to catch the mainstream fan’s attention. Johnson answered the call by solidifying himself as one of the best titleholders in the organization.

In four title defenses, “Mighty Mouse” has shown continuous leaps toward becoming a complete fighter. According to Fight Metric, the flyweight champion has landed more significant strikes than any opponent he’s faced.

Yet, what is more interesting is the way he’s surpassed that point as champion. In his five title bouts, Demetrious has nearly doubled his opponents’ striking output. Many of these fights have gone into the fifth round, where Johnson looks like he’s as fresh as he was in the first.

Another area of interest when speaking about Johnson is his new determination to finish opponents. Leading up to his fight against Bagautinov, Johnson talked freely about stopping challengers.

“I did it with the best fighters in the world,” Johnson was quoted as saying by Brent Brookhouse of Bloody Elbow. “Joseph, he’d never been finished. I ended up knocking him out. John Moraga, he’d never been finished. I ended up submitting him.”

Many fans have complained that some champions begin to “fight safe” to protect the title rather than entertain. Johnson is going in the exact opposite direction. Against Moraga, he had the fight secured on the scorecards but still locked in the fifth-round armbar.

Bagautinov was in the same position, but that didn’t stop Demetrious from taking risks in an attempt to finish him. Johnson’s fighting style should be appreciated by the fans who dislike those that don’t throw caution to the wind.

The UFC has Johnson currently sitting in the fourth position in the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings. While these opinions are merely just that, it’s interesting to see the development of arguments that will consider DJ the best in the sport. Demetrious Johnson may only be 5’3″ and fight at 125 pounds, but he’s setting himself apart as the potential pound-for-pound king of mixed martial arts.

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UFC 174: Potential Future Fights for Saturday Night’s Winners

UFC 174 took place in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday night with some surprising—as well as predictable—results. With the event now over, a number of potential and interesting future fights could be on the horizon for UFC 174’s winners …

Buried in the prelims, Michinori Tanaka had a successful UFC debut. He defeated Australian Ronald Delorme via unanimous decision, boosting his MMA record to 10-0 in the process. Delormed was injured during the fight and needed medical attention.

A fight against Pedro Munhoz (11-1)—who got his first UFC victory last month—would be a good test for Tanaka. A win there would boost Tanaka’s name value and set him up for a fight against a more proven bantamweight.

Ovince Saint Preux remains undefeated in the Octagon after getting a second-round submission win over Ryan Jimmo in the main card’s opening bout. The win puts OSP’s UFC record at 4-0; more importantly, he has finished his last three opponents.

That calls for a step up in competition for the Haitian-American, and Ryan Bader—who earned a dominant victory at UFC 174 against Rafael Cavalcante—fits the bill. Bader has established himself as a force in the UFC light heavyweight division but has come up short against top fighters like Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida and Glover Teixeira in the past.

However, Bader’s dominant wins against other fighters in the division make him a perfect litmus test for someone like OSP, who is aiming to crack into the Top 10.

Andrei Arlovski and Brendan Schaub put on an unimpressive showing in their match at UFC 174. While Arlovski won via split decision, neither fighter asserted himself as a top-level fighter in the bout.

A fight with Roy Nelson is an interesting bout for Arlovski. The two have squared off before, which ended in an Arlovski victory. However, Nelson would most likely relish the chance of avenging a previous loss, while “The Pitbull” could show he still has what it takes to be a top-tier heavyweight.

Once again Rory MacDonald showed why he is a top welterweight, winning a one-sided unanimous decision over Tyron Woodley in UFC 174’s co-main event. While he has been viewed as a welterweight title contender, “Ares” is just two fights removed from a loss against Robbie Lawler.

However, a No. 1 contender’s fight against the winner of Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler would be great for MacDonald. Against Lawler, he would have the chance to redeem himself, while against Brown he would be fighting a dominant fighter on an eight-fight winning streak.

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson successfully defended his flyweight title for a fourth time against Ali Bagautinov. There is now no clear contender to fight Johnson for the belt, but John Dodson has a good case to be the next title challenger.

He lost his title bout against Mighty Mouse in January last year but has earned two dominant victories over Darrell Montague and John Moraga since then. That could be enough to see a Johnson vs. Dodson rematch before the end of the year.

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UFC 174: Fans Exit Early from Demetrious Johnson’s Dominant Title Fight

Demetrious Johnson was the faster fighter. He was the quicker fighter. He was the better fighter in his five-round shutout against Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174 on Saturday.
MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti tweeted this from Johnson’s post-fight interview…

Demetrious Johnson was the faster fighter. He was the quicker fighter. He was the better fighter in his five-round shutout against Ali Bagautinov at UFC 174 on Saturday.

MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti tweeted this from Johnson’s post-fight interview with Joe Rogan:

Flyweight king or not, Johnson’s dominant performance was apparently not enough to keep some of the 13,506 fans at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada from sticking around to watch the champ have his hand raised.

Sherdog.com’s Jordan Breen tweeted during the title fight:

Possibly stemming from the lack of fans in attendance or simply from the fact that the fight was so one-sided—though the fans who managed to stay seemingly weren’t excited either—MMAFighting.com tweeted:

“Mighty Mouse” wasn’t too bothered by it, though. Johnson first told reporters at the UFC 174 post-fight press conference: “I didn’t notice at all. I was too busy throwing knees in the clinch. It doesn’t bother me at all, you know. People are free to leave and go as they please. They’re not held here in contempt. I think all the educated fans loved it.”

This isn’t the first time Johnson’s dominating performances have gone unappreciated by casual fans. He’s often criticized for being dominant enough to completely dispatch his opponents but not dominant enough to finish his fights inside of the Octagon.

It’s not all his fault, though—he’s doing his part to put on a solid performance. The stats advertised during the fight only reinforced what people were observing: a one-sided beating by the reigning, defending, undisputed, cursed flyweight champion of the world. By the end of the third round, he had reportedly landed more than 150 strikes. Bagautinov could only hover around 60.

MMAFighting.com’s senior editor Luke Thomas summed up why Johnson’s dominant performances often go unappreciated in a series of tweets:

Hopefully, a rematch with the endlessly charismatic John Dodson will serve as a defibrillator to Johnson’s struggling popularity.

It’s worth noting that this was the first time Johnson had his name announced last at a UFC pay-per-view. His seemingly underwhelming but absolutely dominant performance—coupled with the fans who opted to get drenched in the rain instead of watch Dana White wrap the belt around his waist—could force White and company to question whether they can afford to headline another fight card with Johnson.

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

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After UFC 174: What’s Next for Andrei Arlovski in the UFC?

It seems like yesterday that Andrei Arlovski was the UFC heavyweight champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
However, the Belarusian lost the title against Tim Sylvia over eight years ago now, and he has been an MMA journey…

It seems like yesterday that Andrei Arlovski was the UFC heavyweight champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

However, the Belarusian lost the title against Tim Sylvia over eight years ago now, and he has been an MMA journeyman ever since.

Post his disastrous 0-3 stint in Strikeforce, Arlovski has amassed six wins out of his last seven fights, prompting the UFC to re-sign him after a six-year absence from the Octagon.

On Saturday night, at UFC 174, at a sold-out venue in Vancouver, Canada, he went up against Brendan Schaub. On paper, it was a successful return as Arlovski beat Schaub via split decision.

However, in reality, things were quite different.

Nerves and anxiety plagued the “Pitbull” in his UFC return as he offered little offense on the feet and allowed Schaub to take him to the ground.

Luckily, in Schaub he had an opponent who offered little by way of attacks during the fight, resulting in a less-than-crowd-pleasing contest.

Arlovski may have had his hands raised, however, few if anyone would say he is the same Arlovski fans know and love. Put simply, Arlovski has gotten a little older.

Some may say that he’s only 35, the same age as Daniel Cormier, who has had an impressive MMA and UFC career to date.

The thing is Arlovski has been fighting professional MMA at the top level for over 14 years. He’s fought fighters like Ricco Rodriguez (back when he was one of the top heavyweights), Fabricio Werdum, Sylvia (four times), Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva, among others.

To come in after all of that and be competitive against a mid-level UFC fighter like Schaub is an accomplishment in itself. While his chances of fighting for the belt are slim, there are still some good fights for Arlovski in the UFC.

Firstly, the UFC could take the “old school, once were dominant veterans” route and pit Arlovski against either Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira or Josh Barnett.

Minotauro and Barnett are both former MMA phenoms; Minotauro is a former Pride heavyweight champion and interim UFC heavyweight champion, while Barnett is a former UFC heavyweight champion.

A match between Minotauro/Barnett and Arlovski would likely attract the hardcore MMA fanbase and would be a good main card opener.

The UFC could also go the “potential entertaining rematch” route and give Arlovski a fight against either Roy Nelson or Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Arlovski beat Nelson via knockout in October 2008, but he did so in controversial circumstances after the fighters were stood up while Nelson was in a dominant ground position. Bigfoot beat Arlovski via unanimous decision in May 2010.

Both Nelson and Silva may be too far up the rankings for an immediate fight against Arlovski, but a fight against either fighter would make a good co-main event on a UFC Fight Night card.

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Chael Sonnen Contributed More Outside the UFC Octagon Than Within

The UFC has always been about the brand before the fighters. Chael Sonnen was able to upset that trend when he became a major star and fan favorite, even though his record wasn’t the greatest. Now that he has walked away from the sport, it’s clear that…

On Wednesday he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. After failing another drug test, he has officially retired from active competition.

He was an admitted testosterone replacement therapy user who openly questioned the ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. This forced Sonnen and other fighters to stop using the treatment. A random test administered by the NSAC revealed two illegal substances in his system, anastrozole and clomiphene, both of which are primarily used for treating women.

The results led to Sonnen ending his career during a monologue on UFC Tonight. His statement pointed toward family desires that caused the need for using the illegal substances.

“If I know what I know now, and I know that this is going to work, and I’m going to be able to get my wife pregnant and look forward to having a family, I am going to do the exact same thing 20 more times,” he said on-air, as documented by Sherdog. “Which is going to put me out of compliance 20 more times.”

Just like that, Sonnen’s UFC run is over. He went from a potential title eliminator against Vitor Belfort at UFC 175 to being a former competitor. Now, the conversation turns to Sonnen’s legacy in MMA.

While his record may not support it, there is little doubt that he will eventually be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He has conducted himself in the exact way that the UFC would like.

It’s well-known that the company tends to reward those who are the most compliant to its needs. Sonnen has always been such an athlete, regardless of his issues with PED usage. Taking late-notice fights and being a draw to pay-per-view events kept him in the UFC’s good graces regardless of his performances.

His contribution to the world of MMA is that he’s the blueprint of how fighters can become stars. Sonnen was a middle-tier fighter who put together a 7-7 run in the UFC. However, his ability to talk on the microphone and keep people excited about his fights helped him stay relevant in the sport. Other fighters, such as Conor McGregor, are using similar tactics. While everyone may not enjoy the way he did it, the fact remains that his promotional skills were effective.

“Chael’s a nice guy. I’ve met him and hung out with him,” UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell told MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco. “I can’t stand the way he promotes fights. I understand what he’s doing; he wasn’t the most exciting fighter, so he made himself exciting by promoting the fight really well, and he got himself a couple of title shots for it.”

MMA now has more and more fighters who are willing to speak their minds and even exaggerate a bit to get the nudge up the ladder that they want. The sport can thank Sonnen.

“The Gangster from West Linn” will not be a part of any conversation about the greatest UFC fighter of all time. However, he contributed to the sport in a way that those who come after him should appreciate and implement.

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