Demetrious Johnson never stopped moving. He never does. John Moraga, the challenger, thought he was ready for it. He wasn’t. They never are.
Johnson controlled almost every one of the fight’s 23-plus minutes with his diverse striking and superlative takedowns. It looked like the flyweight champion was on his way to yet another decision victory, which would have been his fourth in a row. Johnson exploded for an armbar submission in the final minutes of the fight, though, bending Moraga’s elbow with a brutal joint lock.
Once again, he defied expectations.
The genius of Johnson is in the variety of his techniques. He utilized punches, knees, kicks and lightning-fast wrestling moves. Mighty Mouse always seemed to choose the ideal weapon at the right time. Johnson was able to switch gears on a dime. It was as dominant a title defense as we’ve seen in recent memory.
Johnson, of course, wasn’t the only big winner on the night, although sometimes it felt like it. It was a night full of dull fights, production mistakes and fans dressed as empty chairs. But it wasn’t all bad news. There were winners and losers up and down the card. Let’s explore them together.