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Johnson vs. Bagautinov: Mighty Mouse Must Consider Bantamweight After Easy Win

Demetrious Johnson has been absolutely impressive since joining the flyweight ranks.
He quickly became the UFC’s first champion in the new division and has simply dominated since acquiring the title.
After outlasting John Dodson in five rounds, submitt…

Demetrious Johnson has been absolutely impressive since joining the flyweight ranks.

He quickly became the UFC’s first champion in the new division and has simply dominated since acquiring the title.

After outlasting John Dodson in five rounds, submitting John Moraga, knocking out Joseph Benavidez quickly and picking apart Ali Bagautinov through five rounds on Saturday, Mighty Mouse appears to have officially cleaned out the division.

Brian Stann pretty much summed up Johnson’s most recent fight with this tweet:

With lightning-fast footwork, blazing speed, pinpoint accuracy and superior endurance, Johnson is easily the most well-rounded fighter in the flyweight division—and perhaps in the upper echelons of the UFC as a whole.

TJ Grant sure had some high praise for Johnson against Bagautinov:

Nick Newell and Abel Trujillo chimed in as well:

In Johnson’s current weight class, a lack of worthy competition looms large going forward.

He’s become a fan favorite due to his quick, exciting and well-versed style of fighting, but he needs to be challenged.

That challenge must come from the bantamweight ranks.

There’s been plenty of movement atop the 135-pound rankings, as Dominick Cruz, Renan Barao and TJ Dillashaw have each held the title within the past six months.

Johnson wouldn’t necessarily have to go right to the top against Dillashaw for a superfight—although that would be extremely entertaining—because of the vast amount of talent residing in the bantamweight division.

Back in December, Johnson was interviewed on the Sherdog Radio Network’s Cheap Seats about his thoughts on a bantamweight superfight:

I appreciate it and I appreciate all the love fans give me, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done at 125. I need to dominate and clean out the entire division and then I can start thinking about going up to 135. Like I said, I’m happy to be at 125. I love training hard. I love the weight cut and I love fighting guys that are five-three and five-four.

Well, according to those comments, it’s about time for a move.

After all, Johnson is certainly up to the task, according to another comment from his interview: “I think if Dana White was to approach me with a superfight and said, ‘Hey, you and Dom or Barao—whoever the champion at 135 is—we’ll make a lot of money if you guys do this fight,’ [I’d say], ‘Sounds good, let’s make it happen.'”

Let’s make it happen, indeed.

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UFC 173: Renan Barao’s Experience Will Earn Him Decisive Win over TJ Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew, as he prepares to enter the Octagon against Renan Barao for UFC 173’s main event.
Barao may be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet—even if he doesn’t quite receive a…

TJ Dillashaw may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew, as he prepares to enter the Octagon against Renan Barao for UFC 173‘s main event.

Barao may be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet—even if he doesn’t quite receive as many headlines of others, such as Jon Jones.

With a 34-1 record—his lone blemish coming when he was an 18-year-old rookie—Barao‘s dominance has been wildly visible.

Mike Chiappetta of Fox Sports tweeted a vivid example of how long it’s been since Barao lost:

Barao hasn’t seen a fight come to a decision since his first bout with Urijah Faber in 2012. Since then, he’s recorded a round-four submission against Michael McDonald, a round-two technical knockout against Eddie Wineland and a round-one technical knockout against Faber.

Need a refresher? Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan commented on Barao‘s win following UFC 169:

This fight was a perfect example of how Barao‘s experience came into play.

Keeping a good distance from Faber, he felt his way inside with a jab and immediately saw an opening in his opponent’s defenses. What followed was an absolutely brutal right hand, which staggered Faber.

Barao took full advantage of his dazed opponent, taking him to the ground and pummeling him with a barrage of punches until the fight was stopped.

Barao‘s abilities as a striker will prove to be a daunting task for Dillashaw to overcome.

A solid wrestler and accurate striker, Dillashaw won’t back down from Barao; however, that may be his undoing.

As Dillashaw attempts to get close enough for a takedown, he puts himself in harm’s way, as Barao has the accuracy, intelligence and strength to deliver a decisive blow, which could end the fight immediately.

Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley sums it up perfectly with this tweet:

What Dillashaw must accomplish over the course of the fight is to get Barao moving backward and avoid a constant onslaught of punches. This is certainly easier said than done, as Barao has a bevy of techniques at his disposal to counter anything Dillashaw throws his way.

Should Dillashaw decide to stand up to Barao, he’s capable of doing some damage. Here’s a look at some of his greatest moments, courtesy of a tweet from Dana White:

During an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, Dillashaw spoke of his strategy coming into the fight:

There is definitely positives and negatives to it. I’ve studied this opponent more than any other I’ve had because Urijah fought him. I don’t want to get too much into thinking, though. I want to have a reaction when I’m out there.

When I’m not thinking, I’m a faster athlete. If you start trying to think about what he’s going to do, it slows you down. I just want to have fun once I step in there and prove everyone wrong.

He’s certainly done his homework; however, it all comes down to experience.

While Dillashaw is a talented fighter, he simply isn’t refined enough to counter Barao‘s superior fighting style.

Dealing with Barao is one thing for Dillashaw, but the pressure of a title fight only adds to the odds being stacked against him in a big way.

Dillashaw has the ability to contend with Barao, but he’s not ready just yet.

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Jones vs. Teixeira: Bones Should Move to Heavyweight After Dominating UFC 172

Although the tough-as-nails Glover Teixeira went five rounds and forced a decision against Jon Jones in their UFC 172 bout, it looked more like target practice than a fight for the light heavyweight champion.

Bones laid it on early and often on Satur…

Bones laid it on early and often on Saturday, bloodying the face of Teixeira and knocking out his mouthpiece on several occasions.

By the end of the fight, Teixeira was hurt badly and couldn’t come close to keeping pace with Jones.

During a post-fight press conference with the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Teixeira remarked that Jones was simply the better fighter:

“I did my strategy. My strategy was to try and push him—try to hit him with hooks. But hey, he capitalized. He beat me.”

Jones did beat him—in decisive fashion.

Bones now holds a 20-1 record—with his lone blemish coming in the form of a disqualification for throwing illegal downward elbows—and successfully defended his title seven times.

Needless to say, Jones is performing above and beyond all light heavyweight competition. He looks unbeatable, and in this weight class, he may be.

It only seems appropriate the 205-pound Jones adds some bulk and heads to the heavyweight realm.

Standing at 6’4″ with an impressive 84.5″ reach, it’s easy to speculate Jones could do some major damage.

Obviously, this is something that won’t happen immediately—if at all—according to a media conference call before Jones’ fight with Teixeira:

I have no interest [in fighting Cain Velasquez] at this point. There’s a lot of talent to test myself against. People are interested in rematch [with Alexander Gustafsson]. Phil Davis said he’s going to crumble me like a cookie. There’s a lot of challenges, and I’m ready to meet them.

Although, fighting in the next weight class is something Jones has spoken about in the past.

Back in January, a fan asked Jones about potentially fighting Velasquez during a Q&A session. Bones had this response:

Yeah for sure, but right now I’m preparing to go into probably the toughest schedule I’ve had. Any of the next three guys, they’re monsters. That’s what I’m preparing for: getting through Glover, Gus again. And I know a lot people wouldn’t agree that I got through him the first time. And DC. So that’s my schedule for now.

Since then, Jones has pummeled Teixeira. He has Gustafsson next on the slate. If the outcome of Bones’ next fight resembles his performance in UFC 172, we could be revisiting this topic sooner rather than later.

After all, continuing to dominate the best of challengers from the light heavyweight realm only strengthens the notion of a potential—and highly anticipated—weight-class switch for Jones.

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UFC 172: Jon Jones’ Length Key to Retaining Title Against Glover Teixeira

Jon Jones will defend his title for the seventh time on Saturday night. This time, he faces one of his biggest challenges yet—the streaking Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira hasn’t lost a fight since 2005 and is currently riding a 20-fight winning streak…

Jon Jones will defend his title for the seventh time on Saturday night. This time, he faces one of his biggest challenges yet—the streaking Glover Teixeira.

Teixeira hasn’t lost a fight since 2005 and is currently riding a 20-fight winning streak. However, pushing that streak to 21 won’t be easy against the lengthy Jones.

Jones technically hasn’t lost a fight in professional MMA. The lone blemish on his 19-1-0 record was a disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009 for throwing illegal downward elbows—to that point, Jones was dominating the fight.

The 26-year-old champion’s biggest advantage over his 34-year-old opponent is his length.

Jones boasts an impressive 84.5″ reach, while Teixeira comes in at 76″. This will be a problem for the Brazilian, as Teixeira is a capable striker, but Jones is a much better takedown artist.

With the upper hand going to Jones in terms of wrestling, Teixeira will be forced to attempt to get inside Jones’ reach to produce devastating blows and knock his opponent off balance.

That’s a tall order for Teixeira.

Jones knows exactly how to use every inch of his length, pummeling opponents with a flurry of punches, knees and elbows right out of the gate.

When Teixeira attempts to get inside leverage, one slight misstep will give Jones the opportunity to land a clean shot and continue his ground-and-pound ways.

This is not to say Jones is impenetrable in this manner.

During his last fight against Alexander Gustafsson, the champ needed a strong final two rounds to gain the decision. Early in the fight, the Swede was able to pick his way inside, landing punches and taking down Jones several times.

Jones reflected on his fight with Gustafsson during an interview with Elias Cepeda of Yahoo Sports:

I think for the first time in my career I really started to feel myself. I really started to think, ‘Maybe I’ve got this extraordinary talent and maybe I just can’t be touched.’ I went 80 percent [against Gustafsson]. I’m not making any excuses. Gustafsson did a great job in the fight but I know that I had a lot more in me. I did some of the cardio tests that I normally do and my numbers weren’t the same. Me knowing that, I still went into the fight thinking, ‘Well, since I’ve performed excellent, maybe I’ll still perform really really high, do really good and the fight may be a little closer if I just put half the effort in. I learned a lesson the hard way that you have to give full effort.

Certainly, Teixeira will look to that fight as a blueprint for Saturday.

It all comes down to how Jones uses his length.

If Teixeira can get inside in the same way that Gustafsson did, his devastating strikes could end Jones’ reign. If he can’t, Jones should cruise to yet another successful title defense.

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Glory 14 Zagreb Results: Recap and Analysis for Cro-Cop vs. Bonjasky

Glory 14 in Zagreb, Croatia, Saturday featured a highly anticipated bout between two-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky and crowd favorite Mirko “Cro-Cop” Filipovic. At 38 years of age, Bonjasky was set to retire after the bout, and after…

After three intense rounds of action, Bonjasky was declared victorious by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28). However, it was blatantly apparent that neither Cro-Cop nor the audience in attendance agreed with the outcome.

Once the final tally was revealed, Cro-Cop left the ring quickly as the crowd became restless. Their displeasure is certainly warranted after breaking down the fight.

From the beginning of the bout, Cro-Cop was the more assertive and aggressive fighter. Right away he came out throwing a high kick at Bonjasky while the crowd erupted in excitement. Cro-Cop continued his effectiveness, landing shots to Bonjasky‘s body.

Bonjasky relied on his kicks early on; however, Cro-Cop’s defense stood up to the challenge, as he routinely dodged and caught Bonjasky‘s attempts.

In the second round, Bonjasky became more assertive, continuing to penetrate Cro-Cop’s defenses with multiple kicks. Still, it was the same story, as Bonjasky was unable to make solid contact. He had several slip-ups in the round, falling after missing a high kick and allowing Cro-Cop to catch several others.

Cro-Cop managed to get Bonjasky against the ropes late in the round and landed a couple of punches while his opponent struggled to get out of harm’s way.

The third round featured more of Cro-Cop’s aggressiveness. He came out swinging immediately, forcing Bonjasky to almost fall through the ropes early.

In an ongoing trend, Bonjasky attempted to rally with a high kick; however, it was caught by Cro-Cop and Bonjasky was thrown to the ground. This happened twice more throughout the duration of the final round.

Cro-Cop landed a knee and high kick after putting Bonjasky against the ropes once again before the bout concluded.

Even though it appeared as though the Croatian was in control for most of the fight, the final scoring did not go his way and Bonjasky was awarded the victory by majority decision.

Perhaps it was Bonjasky‘s defensive prowess that afforded him the victory. After all, the match wasn’t filled with clean contact and remained rather sloppy throughout. Cro-Cop attempted to position himself for multiple head kicks, but Bonjasky‘s range wouldn’t allow his competitor to get within striking distance.

Cro-Cop was the more aggressive fighter; although, due to the sloppiness of the fight, the clean hits that Bonjasky was able to land certainly helped in the decision.

Where these fighters go from here is up in the air. It appears that Bonjasky is set to retire, and he probably should after earning this victory, albeit a controversial one. Cro-Cop has also danced around the idea of retirement, as the Croatian is 39 years of age.

However, it is unlikely that Cro-Cop would be satisfied with leaving the ring for good after a disappointing outcome like this. It should be safe to say that we have not seen the last of this Croatian fighter.

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Anderson Silva Will Emerge Victorious at UFC 168 by Staying on His Feet

The last time Anderson Silva faced off against Chris Weidman, it was Silva’s theatrics that led to his downfall. After egging Weidman on, he allowed himself to become exposed, and Weidman was able to knock Silva down, finishing him on the ground in the…

This time around, things may be a little different.

There is no doubt that Silva is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. Why is that? Because he continues to grow and learn from his mistakes—even at his advanced age of 38.

After their last match, Silva stated afterward , per the Los Angeles Times, that “It was a combination of things that led to that mistake.” Referring to his defeat.

Silva continued: “When I go inside the ropes to fight, I’m not joking, because there’s danger. Some days, you have a good day for working, some days you have a bad day for working. The last fight was my bad day.”

Expect a better day from Silva during UFC 168.

Silva is well aware of Weidman’s wrestling style and knows the importance of staying upright against such a forceful opponent on the mat.

Now 38 fights into his career, Silva still remains the most accurate striker in UFC history, landing 67 percent of his total attempted strikes—all the more reason to remain standing.

So, how can Silva accomplish this against a talented wrestler like Weidman?

Well, he’s done it before.

Back in 2012, Silva was able to get the best of Chael Sonnen, an excellent wrestler, during their match at UFC 148.

During that matchup, Silva played it smart in the second round. He remained on the defensive and took his shots when given the opportunity. This tactic allowed Silva to react quickly and avoid attempted takedowns from Sonnen.

From there, Sonnen seemed to get a little desperate and began to take some chances against the champion. This gave Silva the opportunity to connect with repeated strikes, ultimately finishing the challenger off in impressive fashion.

Expect Silva to utilize this same tactic when facing Weidman on Saturday.

Silva’s patient approach to this ensuing matchup will allow him to remain upright and continue striking. Silva will highlight his own strengths along with Weidman’s weaknesses to emerge victorious this time around.

Silva has been around for a long time. He continues to learn and grow. Rest assured, he will be well prepared when he enters the Octagon on Saturday.

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