UFC flyweight John Dodson is in a unique position to break down next month’s UFC on FOX main event between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez.
After all, Dodson has been in the cage with Johnson. He lost a title bid of his own against Johnson earlier this year. And though he hasn’t competed against him, he has spent years watching Benavidez.
Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 headlines the UFC on FOX card on Dec. 14. They were originally scheduled to face off at next week’s Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale, but the fight was shifted to the FOX event when original headliner Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury.
The event takes place at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif. Dodson is also featured on the card; he replaced an injured Ian McCall and will face Scott Jorgensen in Jorgensen‘s flyweight debut.
Johnson (18-2, 4-1-1 UFC) already has a win over Benavidez, beating the Team Alpha Male member by split decision at UFC 152 in Sept. 2012. The win garnered Johnson the first-ever UFC flyweight title.
Since the loss, Benavidez (19-3, 6-1 UFC) has strung together three consecutive wins, including his September win over Jussier Formiga, to secure a rematch with the champion. Johnson, meanwhile, scored a stoppage win over John Moraga at a UFC on FOX event in July.
Bleacher Report recently caught up with Dodson to get his thoughts on the fight and who he thinks will emerge victorious.
Other featured bouts for UFC on FOX include Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald, Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown and Chad Mendes vs. Nik Lentz.
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