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The man they call Mighty Mouse, Demetrious Johnson, proved that his flyweight title reign is no mistake when he defended it Saturday night on FOX. The speedy and powerful John Dodson couldn’t take the title from him, and now the champion is left with a…
The man they call Mighty Mouse, Demetrious Johnson, proved that his flyweight title reign is no mistake when he defended it Saturday night on FOX. The speedy and powerful John Dodson couldn’t take the title from him, and now the champion is left with a muddled collection of potential contenders in the 125-pound class.
Some of the guys who could differentiate themselves from the pack include:
Although the UFC’s flyweight division hasn’t been alive for too long, it is already being thrust front and center, as was the case this weekend when Demetrious Johnson defended his title for the first time against The Ultimate Fighter …
Although the UFC’s flyweight division hasn’t been alive for too long, it is already being thrust front and center, as was the case this weekend when Demetrious Johnson defended his title for the first time against The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner, John Dodson at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago, Illinois.
While it was a good fight, it also shined a light on how thin the division currently is.
Dodson is probably second only to Nate Quarry in being a fighter from The Ultimate Fighter reality show who was thrust too quickly into a title fight, and while Dodson did much better than Quarry, truth be told he wasn’t ready for such a fight.
But things are always rocking at the beginning, and now that it is clear that the UFC plans on making sure the spotlight shines on all divisions, it is time to begin stocking up on fighters who can make the 125-pound limit.
There are many reasons why, but the most obvious of them all is simply that the deeper a division is, the more compelling it is, because the fans have more choices as to who they identify with and root for.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, speaks to the heart of growth for the UFC in ways we cannot quantify as of yet, because if you look at the history of combative sport, numerous smaller fighters—many coming from countries outside the United States—have managed to captivate the fans.
And when you consider that countries such as Mexico, Japan, Italy and others have seen some of their “smaller” sons turn into giants upon the world stage of boxing, it becomes clear that a diversified and stacked flyweight division could help kick open the doors to those countries and many others.
When you think about some of the bigger names in boxing over the past 50 years, it is surprising to some to learn just how many of them fought and achieved fame in the featherweight division, which is boxing’s equivalent to the flyweight class.
Men such as Juan Manuel Marquez, “Prince” Naseem Hamed, Alexis Arguello, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao and countless others fought at the 126-pound limit and put on some incredible fights while becoming large stars in the process.
Add a few more pounds and you can find names like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez, Diego Corrales, Erik Morales, Oscar de la Hoya and others.
There is an untold number of MMA fighters from other countries who are waiting to be discovered and one of them could be the next Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez in the UFC.
But they need to know there is a place for them and the only way that will happen is if the flyweight division becomes known as a division where great fights are made by great fighters. In order for that to come to pass, the UFC is going to need to start investing heavily down south.
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Chicago’s United Center set the stage for plenty of great fights at UFC on Fox 6, with six jam-packed hours of solid action greeting TV viewers across the country on Saturday night.Although the promotion’s flyweight championship isn’t viewed by many ca…
Chicago’s United Center set the stage for plenty of great fights at UFC on Fox 6, with six jam-packed hours of solid action greeting TV viewers across the country on Saturday night.
Although the promotion’s flyweight championship isn’t viewed by many casual fans as the most prestigious title in the company, Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson nonetheless put on a show for the crowd in a solid scrap.
But the spotlight was arguably stolen by Anthony Pettis, who stamped his ticket to the UFC lightweight title in amazing fashion.
Several other fighters made their presence known as well, with blood, grit and sheer will bringing fans some incredible highlight reel material. Read on to see who was most impressive in victory as we recap a dozen of the night’s most memorable moments.
The New Jersey Athletic Control Board, headed in 2000 by Larry Hazzard, helped mixed martial arts take a giant step forward by becoming the first major state athletic commission to regulate the sport. The IFC was the first promotion to run a show in th…
The New Jersey Athletic Control Board, headed in 2000 by Larry Hazzard, helped mixed martial arts take a giant step forward by becoming the first major state athletic commission to regulate the sport. The IFC was the first promotion to run a show in the Garden State in September, 2000. The UFC soon followed with UFC 28.
These fight cards were a test run for the sport. Hazzard liked what he saw and MMA passed with flying colors. In April, 2001, Hazzard headed a meeting that included the UFC and other promoters, with Nevada’s Marc Ratner dialing in from his office in Las Vegas. Together they hammered out the official Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, relying heavily on previous work done in California and the Mixed Martial Arts Council rules created by Jeff Blatnick that the UFC already used to self-regulate their own bouts.
A few important changes were made, including banning the gi and wrestling shoes, and the establishment of weight classes from flyweight to super-heavyweight. The most important change, from a competition standpoint, was the banning of knees to the head of a grounded opponent.
It was a change Hazzard insisted upon. In the very first show in New Jersey, enormous heavyweight Gan McGee dropped knee after knee on the head of overmatched and outsized opponent Brad Gabriel. Blood flowed and it took the referee an eternity to intervene. Hazzard cringed sitting ringside and the knee to the head had seen its last day in American MMA.
Today, a fighter cannot be kicked or kneed in the head when he’s on the ground—including when he has a hand on the ground. The intent is to eliminate the Gan McGee knees of doom. But, along the way, savvy fighters like John Dodson have used the well-intentioned rule to game the system.
In his title fight against Demetrious Johnson, Dodson put one hand on the ground to remove the knee from Johnson’s arsenal of strikes. Johnson either didn’t notice or didn’t care, kneeing Dodson right in the face.
“The first time I put my knee to his head, I couldn’t tell because I was looking at the back of his head,” Johnson told Fuel TV after the bout. “After the first time I got warned, I apologized about that. I could feel his pressure and he has to move. It’s not checkers – it’s chess damn it!”
Referee John McCarthy was forced to step in and separate the fighters when the technically illegal blow affected the bout. He didn’t take a point, but he could have, unnecessarily adding controversy to a fight that was a thrilling back-and-forth showdown.
“I do think the point should have been taken away. It was an illegal knee and it caused damage,” UFC President Dana White told Fuel TV after the fight. “There should have been a point taken away. But I hate that rule. The reason it’s there, it’s for soccer kicks when guys are down on the ground. But I don’t like when guys put their hand down to protect them from it. It was an awesome fight, a close fight and a controversial fight.”
It’s a rule that needs to be adjusted to protect the integrity of the sport. Anytime a fighter can blatantly game the system, the way Dodson did, the sport as a whole looks downright silly. He wasn’t protecting himself and his position didn’t make him particularly vulnerable. He was exploiting a loophole. And that has to stop.
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Ryan Bader talks about his record breaking submission over Vladimir Matyushenko, becoming more composed in the Octagon, whether he underestimated his opponent, and more with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Ryan Bader talks about his record breaking submission over Vladimir Matyushenko, becoming more composed in the Octagon, whether he underestimated his opponent, and more with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
UFC President Dana White dropped by to chat with UFC Tonight analyst Ariel Helwani after an incredible night of fights at FOX UFC Saturday. Dana addressed the controversial illegal knee in the Johnson vs. Dodson fight, ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s last UFC fight, plus more.
Click here to view the embedded video.
UFC President Dana White dropped by to chat with UFC Tonight analyst Ariel Helwani after an incredible night of fights at FOX UFC Saturday. Dana addressed the controversial illegal knee in the Johnson vs. Dodson fight, ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s last UFC fight, plus more.