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Johnson vs. Dodson 2: Results, Highlights and Post-Fight Comments from UFC 191

In a rematch of what had been the toughest fight of his long title reign, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was machine-like in Las Vegas Saturday night, earning a one-sided unanimous decision over John Dodson in the main event of UFC 191. The UFC’s smallest champion once more made a strong argument that he is the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter.

UFC veteran Kenny Florian summed up the performance on Twitter:

In the other main event fights, Paige VanZant showed great cardio and applied relentless pressure against Alex Chambers, beating her up for two rounds and then finishing her with an armbar at 1:01 of Round 3. It was a legitimately exciting performance by VanZant and thrilling enough to inspire a bit of hyperbole from former pro wrestling star Bill Goldberg, who exclaimed that the armbar was “Ronda Rousey like!”

Bleacher Report Analyst Patrick Wyman provided a bit of a more realistic perspective on Twitter:

After a competitive first round, Corey Anderson used a strong wrestling advantage to brutalize Jan Blachowicz for the remaining two rounds. Two of three judges scored the final two rounds 10-8 and the third scored one 10-8, as Anderson earned scores of 30-25 twice and 29-26 once.

This was a fight that was as one-sided as they come without ending in stoppage. The following tweet from Chael Sonnen highlights the surprising degree to which Anderson was able to bully his Polish opponent:

In his first trip to the Octagon since losing to Daniel Cormier last May in a fight for the vacant light heavyweight title, Anthony Johnson reverted to classic “Rumble” form, knocking Englishman Jimi Manuwa cold with a crushing right hook just 28 seconds into Round 2.

Don’t be surprised to see Johnson in a rematch with the champion sooner rather than later. And even though Cormier was able to finish him last time and would be a favorite in a return bout, a puncher such as Johnson can never be written off, as Jon Anik of Fox Sports 1 pointed out:

In the night’s co-main event, two former heavyweight champions clashed, with Andrei Arlovski earning a unanimous decision over Frank Mir by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice. It’s almost a surprise to remember that these two never fought a decade ago when they were both among the top big men in the sport.

At this point, the fight had something like the feel of an old-timers’ game at Yankee Stadium, a point made with a classic wisecrack tweet by Sonnen:

In the preliminary portion of the night, bantamweights John Lineker and Francisco Rivera stole the show, turning in what will likely be the most exciting two minutes of MMA that we see in 2015. According to FightMetric’s Michael Carroll, the two threw exactly 100 strikes in the first two minutes of the fight:

This tweet from Fox Sports gives an indication of the mayhem:

What started with an explosion ended in a tap, as Lineker was able to assert control on the ground and secure a guillotine choke 2:52 into the first round.

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Johnson vs. Dodson 2: UFC 191 Main Event Odds, Predictions and Tale of the Tape

The UFC will be placing its smallest division in the spotlight this Saturday night in Las Vegas, as flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defends his belt against John Dodson. The fight is a rematch of their January 2013 clash, which Johnson took by un…

The two are evenly matched physically, as the tale of the tape demonstrates:

Per ESPN.com	Demetrious Johnson	John Dodson
Record:	22-2-1	17-6
Wins by KO:	4	8
Wins by Submission:	9	2
Height:	5’3″	5’3″
Weight:	125 lbs	125 lbs
Reach:	66″	66″
Age:	29	30

Stylistically, both fighters are former wrestlers who have developed into well-rounded, mixed martial artists; although, in their first fight, Dodson appeared to have a slight edge standing and Johnson dominated the grappling aspect. Johnson had a clear advantage in conditioning in their last fight.

Even by flyweight standards, Johnson and Dodson are fast, at times showcasing almost cinematic speed and agility.

As a promoter, it’s Dana White‘s job to be enthusiastic about his product, but I have no trouble believing the glee expressed in his tweet earlier this week was 100 percent authentic:

This is a fight that promises to be exciting.

Odds Shark has the champion listed as a favorite at minus-600 with Dodson as a plus-450 underdog. The majority of predictions I’ve read or seen for this fight have appeared cautious and ambivalent about their ultimate pick.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto declared Mighty Mouse the better mixed martial artist, but ultimately was seduced by Dodson’s punching power and picked him to win via Round 3 KO. On MMA Live, Chael Sonnen acknowledged that Dodson was fully capable of stopping the champ and seizing the belt, but he ended up picking Johnson because he’s “a video game character who doesn’t know how to lose yet.”

Pointing out that Dodson has undergone ACL surgery since the exciting first fight between these two, Elias Cepeda of Fox Sports picked the champion to retain his belt with another decision victory.

On UFC Tonight, UFC veterans Brian Stann and Kenny Florian both chose Johnson to win:

Ultimately, Johnson is one of the elite champions in the history of the UFC. It’s very tough to pick against him when he’s facing a man he already beat, especially one who has had his knee repaired since the first bout.

But Dodson has rare power for a flyweight fighter and rocked Johnson badly twice in their first fight. Johnson is the favorite for a reason, but nobody should be shocked if Dodson pulls off the upset and walks away with the belt.

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UFC 190: Latest Rousey vs. Correia Fight-Card Predictions and Projected Winners

The UFC returns to the birth spot of modern MMA this weekend, when it presents UFC 190 live from Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend against Brazil’s own Bethe Correia, and the legendary Nogueira twins wil…

The main event is perhaps the biggest mismatch in the history of title fights in combat sports. Correia is a game and gutsy athlete who has maintained an impressively energetic punch rate over the course of her nine-fight career.

But Rousey is a straight-up assassin. She was an Olympic bronze medalist in judo, while Correia started training in martial arts as a post-college hobby. Even if they were athletic equals, Rousey has spent her entire life training to throw opponents, snap their arms or choke them out.

And they are not even athletic equals. To reach the elite levels of international women’s judo requires a level of athleticism that isn’t required for women’s MMA.

Kenny Florian stated a widely held opinion Friday when he told Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com that Correia beating Rousey would be “the biggest upset in UFC history.”

There’s been speculation for months that Rousey is going to punish Correia out of personal animosity and delay the fight. Once the competition starts, though, the honed athlete in Rousey will likely follow the quickest and surest path to victory and submit Correia in fast, dominant fashion.

The remainder of the main card offers a more competitive selection of fights.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Between five and 10 years ago, this fight would have been something special as a matchup. At that time, Mauricio Rua would have been the clear pick, but the slowing hands of time make this one more competitive than it might have been in an earlier era.

But Rua remains the favorite. Bleacher Report’s MMA team broke down 4-1 in favor of Shogun. Fox Sport’s Elias Cepeda picked Rua as well.

On the other hand, MMA Mania’s Jesse Holland picked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira to grind out the unanimous decision.

Glaico Franca vs. Fernando Bruno

This is a battle of outstanding Brazilian lightweights and should feature high-level grappling from both men. Fernando Bruno is nearly a decade older, and Glaico Franca is the more explosive athlete.

The Bleacher Report staff split closely on this fight, going 3-2 in favor of Bruno. Holland went with Franca to win via TKO, and Cepeda also went with Franca.

Reginaldo Vieira vs. Dileno Lopes

This bantamweight bout features one fighter who was given a second chance in the Brazilian version of The Ultimate Fighter house, as Reginaldo Vieira was allowed back into the tournament after Giovanni Santos withdrew.

This is the other fight on the card, besides the main event, where there is a wide consensus. Holland has Dileno Lopes by unanimous decision. The Bleacher Report staff was unanimous in picking Lopes, and Cepeda chose him as well.

Stefan Struve vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

In his prime, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would have been the clear favorite to win this fight. He had the boxing skill to get inside of the 6’10” Stefan Struve and light him up from inside the pocket. One of the sport’s great grapplers, he could have put Struve on the ground and made him tap.

But Struve is a dangerous striker, and at 39, Nogueira is a badly faded version of himself and has already absorbed too much punishment in his career. The Bleacher Report staff went 4-1 in favor of Struve. Cepeda and Holland both picked Struve as well.

Antonio Silva vs. Soa Palelei

Antonio “Big Foot” Silva is a longtime fixture at the elite level of MMA heavyweights, but he’s on the downside of his career. He’s 2-5-1 in his last eight fights.

But keep in mind that he compiled that record against a murderer’s row. Soa Palelei is a big, hulking heavyweight, but he hasn’t faced anything like the competition Silva has.

The Bleacher Report staff was split in picking Palelei 3-2, but it was unanimous in seeing the fight decided inside of the first two rounds. Holland picked Palelei by knockout, and Cepeda predicted Silva to prevail via decision.

Claudia Gadelha vs. Jessica Aguilar

This should prove to be an important contender’s fight in the women’s 115-pound division as Jessica Aguilar makes her highly anticipated UFC debut. There is a lot of potential for excitement here.

Holland predicted that Claudia Gadelha will provide a rude reception for Aguilar, winning a unanimous decision. Four of five picked the same way for Bleacher Report, with just Scott Harris going out on a limb for the newcomer.

Cepeda made it a near-sweep, going for Gadelha as well.

Projected Winners

Fighter A	Fighter B	Projected Winner
Ronda Rousey	Bethe Correia	Rousey by Round 1 Armbar
Mauricio Rua	Antonio Rogerio Nogueira	Rua by Round 2 TKO
Glaico Franca	Fernando Bruno	Franca by Round 3 TKO
Reginaldo Vieira	Dileno Lopes	Lopes by Unanimous Decision
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira	Stefan Struve	Struve by Unanimous Decision
Antonio Silva	Soa Palelei	Silva by Round 2 TKO
Claudia Gadelha	Jessica Aguilar	Gadelha by Unanimous Decision

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Rousey vs. Correia: Latest Odds, Predictions and Pre-Fight Twitter Hype

One of the hottest MMA fighters on the planet defends her title in her challenger’s home country this weekend, when UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey travels to Brazil to face Bethe Correia.
Of course, Rousey is a big enough star to …

Of course, Rousey is a big enough star to get a friendly welcome, even when she travels abroad to fight a local star. Her tweet this week is the sort of comment we’d expect from a visiting pop star but not a visiting fighter:

Few athletes of any kind have received more attention than “Rowdy” Rousey over the past couple of years. She starred in one movie in 2014, had two this year and already has another scheduled for release in 2016. Meanwhile, the Olympic bronze medalist in judo has marched through every opponent placed in front of her, stopping all 11 of her professional opponents, with only one making it out of the first round.

Her next opponent, Correia, is undefeated as well, but she’s done it in far less impressive fashion, stopping just two of the nine women she has defeated. Seven of the 11 opponents faced by Rousey are still ranked in the UFC top 10 at 135 pounds, while none of Correia‘s are.

So it’s not surprising that Rousey comes into this one as a prohibitive favorite. Odds Shark has her as a 1-16 favorite, with Correia slotted as an 8-1 underdog.

On Twitter over the weekend, Brad Taschuk posed the rhetorical question that just begs to be asked:

Of course, the UFC is in a tough spot in regard to marketing Rousey. She’s the biggest star on its roster and attracts pay-per-view customers who would not normally purchase a fight broadcast. So it has to keep her active.

On the other hand, she’s run out of credible opponents at this point. Women’s MMA simply hasn’t developed fast enough to keep up with her.

On the men’s side of the sport, new potential stars emerge every year. If a 135-pound male fighter really and truly cleans out his division, he jumps to 145. That’s not an option for Rousey.

For now, at least, it seems not to matter. Rousey‘s own star power is sufficient to hype fights, at least to judge from some of the comments being made on Twitter. I assume fan Mark Cruickshank was sincere when he tweeted:

I see no indication that fan Justin Cheek is being cheeky when he tweets:

While I can’t help wondering how low his personal “chills bar” is set, he’s not alone. Justin Russo tweeted his own extremely high expectations for this weekend:

Over the history of combat sports, certain fighters have been able to achieve a level of fandom where it’s an event every time they compete, regardless of who they face. It was like that for Mike Tyson in the 1980s. It’s like that now for undefeated middleweight boxing champion Gennady Golovkin.

And it’s certainly like that for Rousey. Fans don’t really expect a competitive bout when she fights. They know she’s going to come into the ring with a scowl on her face and make quick work of an overmatched opponent.

MMAFighting.com’s Dave Doyle made this interesting observation last week:

So even facing one of the least compelling opponents she’s ever seen, Rousey‘s own rising star is probably going to carry this event to successful sales numbers.

Just don’t expect a competitive fight. Earlier this week, Correia told MMAJunkie.com through an interpreter that she planned to beat Rousey using her boxing, noting that Rousey had “never really shown her boxing.”

However, by pointing that out, Correia really just draws attention to the fact that nobody has been able to force Rousey into a protracted, stand-up fight. If you can hit Rousey, she can grab you. And if she can grab you, she can send you for a ride.

In the same MMAJunkie.com article, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum noted that if Correia believes in herself, “there’s always the chance to win.”

It’s a nice thought, but almost nobody is predicting Correia will actually win. Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda didn’t want to overlook Correia‘s striking skill in his analysis, but he still picked Rousey by Round 3 submission.

Cepeda‘s article also contains a video segment with UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former contender Kenny Florian. After providing a thorough fight breakdown, including an explanation of what Correia would need to do to win, they still both picked Rousey by submission with no hesitation.

It’s been tempting for people anxious to sell this fight to point to cases of famous upsets. They certainly happen. The reason Werdum was even interviewed for the MMAJunkie.com article is because of his shocking submission upset of Fedor Emelianenko in 2010.

In the Fox Sports video, Cormier mentions Buster Douglas’ 40-1 upset of Mike Tyson in 1990.

But neither of those fights are in any way similar to Rousey vs. Correia. Werdum wasn’t extremely well-known among U.S. fans in 2010, but he was a world-class heavyweight MMA fighter and a highly skilled black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Douglas came into his fight with Tyson having beaten two straight world titlists in Trevor Berbick and Oliver McCall.

Correia never even started training in martial arts until after graduating from college. Rousey, on the other hand, has been learning to throw people on their heads and snap their arms since she was old enough to walk.

Rousey is already well on her way to establishing herself as a great legend of the fighting sports. But her own evolution is so far beyond the current state of the sport that she might retire without ever having a competitive fight.

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UFC 189: Fight Card, PPV Start Time and Final Mendes vs. McGregor Predictions

UFC 189 will conclude Saturday night in Las Vegas with the crowning of a new champion, as Chad Mendes and Conor McGregor meet for the interim featherweight belt. This fight was a late change, as champion Jose Aldo withdrew with an injury, leaving the s…

Mendes vs. McGregor is one of just two title fights on the schedule, as welterweight champion Robbie Lawler defends against Rory MacDonald.

The entire main card is as follows:

Fighter A	Fighter B	Division
Chad Mendes	Conor McGregor	Featherweight
Robbie Lawler	Rory MacDonald	Welterweight
Dennis Bermudez	Jeremy Stephens	149.5 Catchweight
Gunnar Nelson	Brandon Thatch	Welterweight
Thomas Almeida	Brad Pickett	Bantamweight

The start time for the PPV main card is 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, so the main event should kick off just after midnight. The Fight Pass prelims start at 7 p.m. ET, and the Fox Sports 1 prelims begin broadcasting an hour later.

While the Aldo-McGregor fight had been a highly anticipated superfight, McGregor vs. Mendes is definitely the next best thing and a great matchup in its own right. Both men have distinct tactical advantages over their opponent. In Mendes‘ case, he is the superior wrestler, but McGregor has a staggering eight-inch reach advantage.

With all the possible outcomes available in an MMA fight, picking a victor is often tough. The tactical advantages each fighter possesses in this one make it particularly dicey.

Speaking to MixedMartialArts.com’s Jonathan Shrager the week, UFC flyweight Joseph Benavidez was confident Mendes, his Team Alpha Male teammate, would prevail, citing the fact that Mendes “has so many ways to win the fight.”

Of course, that sort of confidence coming from Mendes‘ own camp is hardly going to impress the swaggering Irishman. Last night on Twitter, McGregor posted this photo of himself posing with some high-priced jewelry:

Reflecting the close nature of this bout, the MMA media is largely split on their predictions. Stating that Mendes represents “a nightmare matchup for McGregor” due to his wrestling, Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda picked Mendes by Round 3 TKO.

Bleacher Report’s own MMA staff split 3-2 in favor of McGregor with its predictions. Scott Harris, Craig Amos and James McDonald all took Notorious by stoppage, while Riley Kontek had Mendes by Round 3 TKO and Sean Smith picked the American to win by unanimous decision.

The staff picks for MMAJunkie.com were just as close, but in the opposite direction, as it came down 5-4 in favor of Mendes.

On a video posted to the UFC’s own Youtube channel, the results of the professionals polled came out 5-3 in favor of McGregor, but everybody seemed to expect a close fight:

Ronda Rousey:	McGregor
Daniel Cormier:	Mendes
Demetrius Johnson	McGregor
Jimi Manuwa:	McGregor
Joanna Jedrzejcysyk:	McGregor
Johny Hendricks:	Mendes
Robbie Lawler:	McGregor
T.J. Dillashaw:	Mendes

It should be noted that the three fighters picking Mendes all come from a wrestling background. When you approach MMA with that as your base, it can be very hard to imagine a strong wrestler ever losing a fight to a non-wrestler.

That’s why my own pick ultimately comes down on the side of Mendes. I think McGregor‘s wide stance and front kick will make it very hard for Mendes to set up for a strong double attempt. But he should still be able to force clinches or work for a single leg.

Still, McGregor is a very special kind of striker. He throws very dangerous punches and kicks and can launch them from a dizzying array of angles and distances.

The clash of styles is a big part of what made MMA compelling in the first place. We could see a classic case of it tonight.

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Chad Mendes vs. Conor McGregor: Keys to Victory for Each Fighter at UFC 189

The hottest fighter in mixed martial arts faces one of the best fighters in his division this Saturday night in Las Vegas, as streaking superstar Conor McGregor faces Chad Mendes for the interim UFC crown at 145 pounds. Mendes is a late replacement for…

For the sake of dramatic storytelling, it would be best for McGregor to continue his rampage and make quick work of Mendes. That would give him a version of the title and even more to crow about when egging on a future competition with Aldo.

But Mendes will be uninterested in advancing any part of that narrative arc. Even if he’s already lost twice to Aldo (the only two defeats of his stellar career), he’s not about to let a fresh face jump into line ahead of him, no matter how much it might advance the interests of his employer.

If McGregor truly wants to gain the kind of superstar fighting status that was enjoyed by stars like Chuck Liddell and Georges St-Pierre, he’s going to need to earn it in the cage, against one of the elite fighters in the world today.

These are the keys to victory for both men:

For Mendes: Take Away Space and Exploit the Clinch

McGregor‘s 74″ reach is tremendous for a featherweight fighter. Floyd Mayweather has a very good reach for a boxing welterweight at 72″, to give a perspective of how much of an advantage this gives McGregor competing in MMA at 145 pounds.

Mendes is going to need to close distance quickly in order to negate McGregor‘s most pronounced tactical advantage.

Mendes needs to cover up and feint as he advances. Tight, looping hooks from the proper angle will be good punches for him, because they will allow him to minimize the window he offers McGregor, and his follow-through should carry him into a clinch.

The clinch is where Mendes should be able to force his kind of fight on McGregor. He’ll have the chance to daze McGregor up with dirty boxing, or else grab a quick front headlock and transition into a choke.

McGregor will have trained to deal with Mendes in this position. He tweeted a photo of himself working the clinch last week:

But there’s a difference between training the clinch in training camp for a few months and training the clinch in wrestling rooms for years, first as a cadet All-American and then as an NCAA athlete, the way Mendes has.

Besides beating McGregor up with punches and elbows, other options for Mendes from the clinch will be to lower his level and grab a body lock or high single. If he can do this, he’ll be able to make it a very tough fight for McGregor. If Mendes gets a leg or the body, expect him to go for elevation on McGregor and bring him down hard.

Against the cage or on the mat, Mendes needs to maintain hard, aggressive posture, while scoring with short punches, forearms and elbows. He wants to make sure he is scoring on McGregor, in order to prevent a stand-up, while inflicting damage that will take a toll on the Irishman in the championship rounds.

For McGregor: Maintain the Range and Be Ready to Make Quick Transitions in the Grappling Game

If McGregor can control the distance and make Mendes spend most of the fight in danger of being suddenly in range for the big left hand, he will win this fight. He’s got the tools to impose exactly that game plan.

But McGregor doesn’t just control the range; he aggressively asserts it. He’ll be looking to put himself directly in front of Mendes and score heavily before Mendes can get close enough to do anything to him.

If McGregor can continually discipline Mendes before Mendes can get close enough to hit him or grab him, it might be a quick fight, with nearly every second of it painful for Mendes.

Once McGregor stops Mendes‘ advance, he’ll want to put Mendes on the defensive. Like any effective striker, McGregor has good vision, so if he can slow Mendes down a bit, he should be able to find a quick opening to land a big left hand or other fight-ending strike.

He’s a wrecking ball as a fighter, but McGregor has got to be ready with a Plan B in the likely event that Mendes is able to secure a clinch or otherwise establish a tactical advantage with his wrestling. McGregor has to be ready to grapple.

McGregor does have very good grappling for MMA. He has an educated submission game, and his athletic ability and “fight sense” make him particularly good at taking away what should be good grappling opportunities, simply by getting out of potentially bad positions before his opponents can exploit them.

McGregor throws a lot of very dangerous strikes, and he throws them from nearly every conceivable angle, with both hands and both feet. It’s what makes him so entertaining.

It’s also what makes him so dangerous. If McGregor can control the range and preserve enough space to always be ready to attack or counterattack quickly with one of his cinematic power punches or kicks, eventually he will land one, and the fight will be over.

This fight is a beautiful example of why there is no drama bigger than the drama of a big-time prizefight. There are a plethora of exciting ways that this fight could develop and chances are good that it will be a classic.

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