Other than a slight scare in the first round where DaMarques Johnson almost locked in an omoplata, John Maguire looked fantastic in this fight.
Maguire‘s wrestling looked as good as it did in his UFC debut and his fight-ending armbar was a thing of beauty.
Johnson has been in the UFC for a long time, so this is an impressive win for Maguire and he will need to build on this to try and gain some momentum in the welterweight division.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
Maguire is a middle-of-the-road welterweight, at worst, after this one.
His wrestling was on point, his striking was decent and he went out and finished the fight in style.
Johnson’s ground game is usually pretty good, but Maguire was able to stay out of trouble and score the victory.
What We Learned About DaMarques Johnson
After almost three years inside the Octagon, Johnson is back to square one.
Now just 4-4 in his UFC career, Johnson will need to win his next bout to secure his UFC roster spot and he’ll need to button up his takedown defense if he wants to stick around much longer.
What We Learned About John Maguire
Solid wrestling and submission skills can make you a dangerous man, and Maguire fits that description perfectly.
The welterweight division is full of young prospects like Rory MacDonald, Jake Ellenberger and Johny Hendricks, but if Maguire can work on his standup a bit, he could be the next highly touted welterweight.
What’s Next For DaMarques Johnson
Johnson could use an easy opponent for his next one, but that’s not likely to happen.
A bout with Jake Hecht, who was recently submitted by TJ Waldberger, would be a nice “loser leaves the UFC” bout.
What’s Next For John Maguire
The UFC needs to build up Maguire a bit slowly, but I still want to see him fight someone who will put the pressure on him.
The winner of next week’s Matt Brown-Stephen Thompson bout would be a fun one to watch.
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