In a head-scratching turn of events, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s greatest triumph in the octagon has actually resulted in his worst-ever numbers for a FOX-aired main event at last night’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City, and also the worst-ever numbers for a UFC on FOX card. The card, which featured
In a head-scratching turn of events, flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s greatest triumph in the octagon has actually resulted in his worst-ever numbers for a FOX-aired main event at last night’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City, and also the worst-ever numbers for a UFC on FOX card.
The card, which featured Johnson tying respected former champion Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive title defenses at 10 and also the return of popular women’s strawweights Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson in the co-main event, still struggled mightily according to a report from MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer to the tune of a record-low 1.74 million viewers in overnight numbers and a .6 share in the paramount 18-49 demographic.
By comparison, last year’s UFC on FOX card at the same time of the year, which featured Glover Teixeira vs. Rashad Evans in the main event, drew 2.13 overnight viewers and a .8 share in the 18-49 demo, while 2015’s April UFC on FOX spearheaded by Luke Rockhold vs. Lyoto Machida drew even more at 2.43 million viewers and a .9 share in 18-49.
In an odd parallel for the event’s overall success, the event from the Sprint Center was the first-ever UFC card in Kansas City, and broke record numbers for attendance and gate in Missouri, something that UFC President Dana White highly touted after the card’s conclusion.
But that won’t help the overall appeal of the event, which is unfortunately an indictment of Johnson’s highly criticized drawing power, as his three prior UFC on FOX main events all did bigger numbers than his greatest win last night. It’s even more concerning because Namajunas, a heavily promoted contender dating to her early UFC days on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), and Waterson, who recently became the strawweight divisions darling after stealing Paige VanZant’s promotional freight train by submitting “12 Gauge,” squared off in the main event.
Waterson’s victory over VanZant in the main event of last December’s UFC on FOX 22 drew 2.69 million viewers in overnight ratings itself, almost a million more than Johnson vs. Reis garnered last night.
It could also be a damning critique on fan’s overall attitude for the UFC and their new owners in the highly lackluster start to 2017, something White said the WME-IMG-owned promotion would snap out of as they gained momentum heading into the summer.
One more further motivating factor in the poor ratings could be Johnson’s continued dominance, as he’s rarely ever even close to tested in his fights, which often air on FOX. One would think this would actually play in his favor as it has with past champs. Most likely it was a combination of several factors.
However, it’s still a tough look for the marketing “Mighty Mouse” as a true star if a record-tying dominant title defense gains the lowest ratings ever.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was a man on a record-setting mission Saturday night in the main event at UFC on Fox 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, against latest flyweight title contender Wilson Reis.
Mission accomplished….
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was a man on a record-setting mission Saturday night in the main event at UFC on Fox 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, against latest flyweight title contender Wilson Reis.
Mission accomplished.
Mighty Mouse tied Anderson Silva for the most consecutive UFC title defenses with 10. Johnson has still never been defeated as a flyweight in his career.
After the bout, Johnson didn’t shy away from proclaiming himself as the best champion in the history of the UFC:
Reis may have been a trendy underdog pick against the dominant champion, but he didn’t have much to offer in the early going.
Reis was tentative in the first round, and Johnson was able to establish himself as the more skilled fighter early on, stuffing takedown attempts and answering with knees and kicks to the body. Mighty Mouse even found a way to throw a head kick while controlling Reis’ back, per UFC:
Brett Okamoto of ESPN summed up the early advantage for Mighty Mouse:
Johnson only widened the divide between the two combatants in the second round. Not only was it more brutality to Reis’ body, but he also nearly finished the fight in the end of the five-minute period. He floored Reis with a brutal knee to the body, then took to the ground to try to finish the fight.
The UFC passed along the highlight:
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mighty Mouse performance without a wrestling clinic, so in Round 3 the champion went to work on his opponent on the ground. Johnson owned the transitions and did whatever he wanted as Reis hopelessly looked for ways to survive.
Like all challengers to Johnson’s throne, that didn’t work out so well.
As the third round was coming to a close, Johnson bloodied Reis and locked on to an armbar that drew the tap from the challenger. And once again, Johnson walked away from a fight as the flyweight champion.
UFC on Fox provided the highlight of the finish:
Reis wasn’t able to pull off the upset, but it was a night that was chock full of them. Beyond the record-tying performance from Mighty Mouse, it was a memorable night of fights on Fox. Here’s a look at the complete results from the night was well as a closer look at the main card fights.
Rose Namajunas can do just about everything in the cage, and she put that fact on full display against Michelle Waterson. She ultimately displayed her submission skills in ending the fight with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
But it wasn’t just the submission that had Waterson in trouble.
First, there was the grappling ability. Namajunas dominated the first round by controlling Waterson on the mat and rendering her opponent harmless.
Just when it appeared that Waterson might have the striking advantage, Namajunas landed a head kick in the second round that changed the complexion of the fight from one-sided to full-fledged beatdown, per UFC:
This matchup was close on paper, but it turns out that the 24-year-old might finally be coming into her own and elevating her own game. Waterson never really posed a threat to her as she steamrolled a highly deserving title contender.
Namajunas took full advantage of the spotlight, too. She provided a promo-worthy sound clip, warning the rest of the division that she’s coming for the title, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Heidi Fang:
Given the state of the division, it shouldn’t be long before “Thug” Rose is right in the title picture where she wants to be.
Ronaldo Souza vs. Robert Whittaker
The middleweight division has a new contender, and it isn’t Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. It’s one Robert “Bobby Knuckles” Whittaker.
The 26-year-old had the epitome of a breakout performance against Jacare.
The question for Whittaker coming in was what would happen when Jacare was able to get the fight to the mat. As it turned out, the answer was nothing. Whittaker shrugged off the prolific grappler and got the fight back to standing position.
The UFC showed the exchange:
From there, Whittaker was able to win the striking battles with power in his hands and feet. He cracked Souza early in the second round and continued to work toward a finish:
Ultimately, he showed a little bit of everything in finishing the fight, starting with a head kick and ending with devastating ground-and-pound, per Fox Sports:
After the fight, Whittaker didn’t hesitate to call out current UFC champion Michael Bisping:
Bisping and Whittaker were actually slated to fight one another in 2015, but Bisping withdrew before the fight took place. Now it looks like that’s a realistic matchup possibility again.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Renato Moicano
What was supposed to be a high-profile showcase for Jeremy Stephens turned into a coming-out party for Renato Moicano. The unranked featherweight defeated the No. 5 ranked veteran via split decision to kick off the main card.
While Brian Stann and Jon Anik spoke of Stephens’ explosive power in his hands, Moicano got to work avoiding those strikes and setting his own pace. Every time Stephens came charging forward Moicano would answer with a leg kick or simply circle out of the way.
The UFC passed along just one example of the Brazilian landing a vicious leg kick:
It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing strategy. Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting likened it to Kalib Starnes’ infamous performance against Nate Quarry back in 2008:
Meanwhile, Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow praised Moicano’s fight IQ:
Regardless of how it was obtained, a win is a win. The 27-year-old moved his record to 11-0-1 with the win and should be back in the spotlight sooner rather than later. Even coming off a loss against Frankie Edgar, Stephens is one of the most seasoned veterans in the division.
A win over an opponent of that quality is a huge boost for a prospect like Moicano.
As a fellow UFC champion, Tyron Woodley knows what it is like to excel when the fourth and fifth rounds begin. That’s why Woodley believes Demetrious Johnson has found so much success in each of his previous nine UFC flyweight title defenses. “Mighty Mouse” meets Wilson Reis this Saturday night at UFC on FOX 24, […]
As a fellow UFC champion, Tyron Woodley knows what it is like to excel when the fourth and fifth rounds begin. That’s why Woodley believes Demetrious Johnson has found so much success in each of his previous nine UFC flyweight title defenses. “Mighty Mouse” meets Wilson Reis this Saturday night at UFC on FOX 24, […]
No. 4-ranked women’s strawweight contender “Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to take on No. 6-ranked Michelle Waterson in the co-main event of this weekend’s (April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City in what could potentially be deemed a title eliminator bout. Namajunas is coming off of a loss to former title challenger
No. 4-ranked women’s strawweight contender “Thug” Rose Namajunas is set to take on No. 6-ranked Michelle Waterson in the co-main event of this weekend’s (April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City in what could potentially be deemed a title eliminator bout.
Namajunas is coming off of a loss to former title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz last July at UFC 201, while Waterson is coming off of an impressive first round submission victory over Paige VanZant this past December. However, Namajunas doesn’t feel as if “The Karate Hottie” has fought a fighter of her ‘caliber’:
“I can’t really think of anybody that she’s fought that is of my caliber,” Namajunas told the Fight Society podcast (Via FOX Sports) this week. “At the same time, it’s hard for me to really put myself in the same category as anybody else. I’m just different, I’m very unique, very hard to know what I’m going to do.
“She shows that she belongs in the UFC. Obviously, I already knew that she was that caliber of fighter before getting into the UFC when she was in Invicta. It just so happened she had the belt at the time or she was just fighting at atomweight. I’m happy she’s in the UFC. Her fights are pretty exciting. I guess she hasn’t really fought anybody like me yet so that’s definitely going to be a different story. All her other fights in the UFC she’s been pretty dominant and have been pretty exciting.”
As a former Invicta champion, Waterson certainly represents a legitimate challenge, but “Thug” Rose claims that she will be comfortable no matter where the fight ends up:
“I think she’s going to try and strike with me at first but it’s going to turn into a desperate attempt to get it to the ground,” Namajunas said. “I think so [that’s where everything backfires].
“I think Michelle is dangerous in spots. She’s very savvy and sets up little traps and things like that but I’ve really been tightening up my game. I was already really well rounded but I’m really tightening up the loose ends. There’s no part in this fight where I feel uncomfortable at all.”
With that being said, Namajunas is looking to create a ‘highlight’ against Waterson on her way to a title shot:
“This is a perfect opportunity to get a highlight,” Namajunas said about her fight with Waterson. “That’s the plan.”
“The vision that I have is to get a title shot this year,” Namajunas said. “Whether that be one fight in between or that be straight into a title shot, it doesn’t matter.”
Who do you expect to come out on top when these two 115-pound contenders meet this weekend?
The UFC 210 medical suspensions have been released by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). This past Saturday night (April 8), UFC 210 was held inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The main event featured an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. Cormier retained […]
The UFC 210 medical suspensions have been released by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). This past Saturday night (April 8), UFC 210 was held inside the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The main event featured an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title bout between champion Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. Cormier retained […]
Nate Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reached an agreement on a reduced punishment for his role in the confrontation with Conor McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference.
Ken Pishna of MMAWeekly.com reported Wednesday the sides agreed…
Nate Diaz and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reached an agreement on a reduced punishment for his role in the confrontation with Conor McGregor at the UFC 202 press conference.
Ken Pishna of MMAWeekly.com reported Wednesday the sides agreed to a $15,000 fine and 15 hours of community service. That’s a reduction from a $50,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
For more news, rumors and related stories about Nate Diaz and the UFC, check out the UFC stream on Bleacher Report’s app.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson was a man on a record-setting mission Saturday night in the main event at UFC on Fox 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, against latest flyweight title contender Wilson Reis.