Johnson (and perhaps flyweight in general) lacking buzz isn’t new. He headlined UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle and drew a paltry live gate of $735,000. When the UFC ran the city the year prior, the live gate and attendance were twice as high. And the ratings for UFC on Fox 8? It was 40% lower than UFC on Fox 7 at 2.04 million–a record low at the time.
Flyweights debuted in the UFC in March 2012. When flyweights–to use a loaded cliche– failed to move the needle, proponents of the division said to just give it time. Fans would be wowed by the action and speed in flyweight fights. It’s September 2014 now and the weight class is just as devoid of interest as it ever was.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean lighter weight classes can’t draw. It just means Demetrious Johnson (and much of the current stable of lighter weight fighters) can’t draw.
Johnson (and perhaps flyweight in general) lacking buzz isn’t new. He headlined UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle and drew a paltry live gate of $735,000. When the UFC ran the city the year prior, the live gate and attendance were twice as high. And the ratings for UFC on Fox 8? It was 40% lower than UFC on Fox 7 at 2.04 million–a record low at the time.
Flyweights debuted in the UFC in March 2012. When flyweights–to use a loaded cliche– failed to move the needle, proponents of the division said to just give it time. Fans would be wowed by the action and speed in flyweight fights. It’s September 2014 now and the weight class is just as devoid of interest as it ever was.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean lighter weight classes can’t draw. It just means Demetrious Johnson (and much of the current stable of lighter weight fighters) can’t draw.
There is no doubt some percentage of viewers who disregard flyweights based on their physical proportions. “Who’s the toughest 125-pound man? Isn’t that a trick question.” Hell, when we were watching the fights last night, someone came by during the tale of the tape. He said “unless these guys are fighting Tyrion Lannister, I don’t care.” These same people are likely put off by the high pace of flyweight fights typically featuring technique above raw power.
The typical insult used to write off people like this is to call them fake MMA fans, but fake fans have real money. Thus, a fighter has two primary responsibilities: Win and sell.
Demetrious Johnson fails at the former as much as he excels at the latter. He’s an incredible fighter and a pleasure to watch for people who appreciate the technical aspects of the sport. Unfortunately, that kind of fan is in the minority.
MMA is pro wrestling. While people claim they cherish talent rather than theatrics, numbers indicate the opposite. Fans crave story lines and rivalries–not just in MMA but in all sports. Any physical prowess displayed is just an added bonus.
Conor McGregor was also on the UFC 178 fight card last night. As a featherweight, he’s part of the doomed-to-sub-250k buys lighter weight classes. From the sheer amount of atmosphere around him, you wouldn’t know that. McGregor is such a personality he had his own media scrum after the UFC 178 post-fight press conference. He’s reached such a level of popularity in his homeland that allegedly 10 percent of UFC 178′s ticket sales came from Ireland. McGregor broke ratings records when he fought Diego Brandao at UFC Fight Night 46.
Conor McGregor is proof the lighter weight classes can produce fighters with charisma and magnetism enough to be stars. Meanwhile, Demetrious Johnson is proof of the unfortunate reality of prize fighting: You’re only as good as your ability to draw money.
Many people are interested in seeing Conor McGregor. Not many people are interested in seeing Demetrious Johnson. Johnson’s small size might play a minuscule part in that, but the real reason is self promotion. Conor McGregor makes you care about him (either because you think he’s awesome or you want to see him get humbled). Even Dominick Cruz scored some extra attention last night when he called out Team Alpha Mail in his post-fight interview by saying he was ready to beat up more “alpha fails.”
That’s what fighters need to do.
There is no budo. There is no honor. There is no respect. After you win, you have 20 seconds to make sure fans remember who you are. You have 20 seconds to make them care about you and your next fight. If you don’t, you’re poisoning your future. You’re sealing your fate as one out of millions of generic UFC Fighters™ with a shaved head, shitty tattoos, and Dynamic Fastener emblazoned across your ass. Talent is rarely enough. You need to stand out. It’s great if you can do that with your performance in the cage, but it’s even better to do it with your words.
Can Demetrious Johnson actually get any better? His bout with Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 was certainly a mismatch, but his victory was arguably even more emphatic than most expected.
No longer content to simply outpoint his foes, Johnson is now either fl…
Can Demetrious Johnson actually get any better? His bout with Chris Cariaso at UFC 178 was certainly a mismatch, but his victory was arguably even more emphatic than most expected.
No longer content to simply outpoint his foes, Johnson is now either flattening his challengers or making them cry “uncle.”
His casual dominance has given UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby a bit of a headache. Is there anyone left for the diminutive champion to beat? That’s a tough one, but I have the unenviable task of taking a crack at it.
Read on for some potential future challengers to Johnson’s throne.
As the main event of UFC 178 got underway, it was eerily quiet inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Las Vegas faithful seemed drained of their energy even as the card was supposed to be hitting its culmination.
After Conor McGregor and then Don…
As the main event of UFC 178 got underway, it was eerily quiet inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Las Vegas faithful seemed drained of their energy even as the card was supposed to be hitting its culmination.
After ConorMcGregor and then Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez, who could blame them?
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was a minus-2000 favorite in some quarters when he stepped inside the cage Saturday night. And the fight unfolded along those lines. Johnson was quicker, stronger and all-around better than Chris Cariaso, a talented but overmatched challenger who has never beaten a fighter of consequence in the UFC flyweight division.
The evening began with Johnson dancing circles around Cariaso. The first big offense happened when Johnson moved in for a double-leg takedown, landing it with ease. Mighty Mouse spent much of the rest of the round in top control, pounding Cariaso. A knee-punch combination at the very end of the frame put Cariaso on weird street, and a spinning high kick nearly put the challenger out just as the horn sounded.
The second round unfolded much like the first. Johnson gained top control and worked for a kimura. He secured the hold and bent Cariaso‘s shoulder and arm into a very difficult angle. The challenger held out as long as he could, gnashing his teeth in pain but then finally was forced to tap, lest the champion break his arm.
The official end came at 2:29 of Round 2.
It is difficult to know what might come next for Johnson. He has said he wants to take some time off. Perhaps if John Lineker can defeat Ian McCall (and stay on weight) this November, he could have an inside track at the title. As it is, especially with John Dodson still recovering from injury, it is hard to see a challenger who could actually, you know, challenge the champ.
Cariaso still has a future in the UFC but not in main events. He’ll head back to the pack now and do just fine lighting it up on undercards.
There was a weird vibe in Las Vegas as Demetrious Johnson (21–2–1), the UFC’s most dominant champion, made his way to the Octagon to defend his flyweight championship.
There is no fighter in the world with the same combination of crisp stri…
There was a weird vibe in Las Vegas as Demetrious Johnson (21–2–1), the UFC’s most dominant champion, made his way to the Octagon to defend his flyweight championship.
There is no fighter in the world with the same combination of crisp striking, stellar wrestling and dangerous submissions. When it comes to pure talent, Johnson sits on the very top of the mountain, side-by-side with fighters such as Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey.
And yet, as he walked to the cage for his fifth title defense, this one against Chris Cariaso, the crowd was heading the opposite direction, about a fifth of them streaming toward the exits and the rest of their night. The champ was in the building—but no one could be bothered to care. Andreas Hale shared what he saw as people were departing:
What’s wrong is not entirely clear. There were a lot of factors leading to this mass exodus. First, and perhaps foremost, there is Cariaso, so unknown that many MMA fans literally couldn’t pick him out of a lineup when challenged by my Bleacher Report colleague Chad Dundas.
But the blame can’t be laid entirely at his feet, even after Johnson steamrolled him, finishing the bout with a vicious Kimura arm lock in the second round.
Yes, Cariaso was a particularly weak challenger, never looking even remotely dangerous. But this wasn’t Johnson’s first box-office failure. His last headlining appearance at UFC 174 set a modern record for pay-per-view futility by drawing barely 100,000 buys, according to Jason Cruz of MMA Payout (via Thomas Myers of MMA Mania).
Before moving to pay-per-view in his last two bouts, Johnson had fought on network television on three consecutive occasions. He was exposed to millions of fans. It didn’t seem to make a difference in growing his miniscule fanbase.
His reputation as a headliner is so tarnished and the interest in his fights is so low, the UFC didn’t even include the champion on a Las Vegas billboard promoting the fight card he supposedly topped.
In the past you could point a finger at Johnson’s cautious style. Over a two-year period each of his fights went the distance. But even that criticism rings hollow these days. Johnson has finished three of his last four bouts, making even the best opponents look hopelessly outclassed. But the acclaim he probably deserves is slow coming.
“I think a lot of people can get discouraged watching us because they don’t understand. People get lost in what’s actually going on,” Johnson told me last year. “A lot of the skill sets flyweights bring to the UFC can be lost in translation. Everyone is so evenly matched, and we have a lot of skills that heavyweights or light heavyweights don’t get to use. There’s a lot more moving around, cardio and constant motion.”
It may be that fans just aren’t interested in determining who the toughest 125-pound man in the world is. Johnson stands just 5’3″. Physically he’s the furthest thing from intimidating. In a sport built on the promise of big-time violence, there just is no place for a little man to shine.
In a perfect world a win like this would be a another step on Johnson’s journey toward true stardom. Instead, it’s more compelling evidence for the prosecution in the case against him as a pay-per-view fighter.
There was a lot of anticipation in the buildup to UFC 178, and the bar of expectation was set as high as any card in recent memory.
A handful of high-profile scraps littered the lineup, and everything built toward the three big fights at the top of the…
There was a lot of anticipation in the buildup to UFC 178, and the bar of expectation was set as high as any card in recent memory.
A handful of high-profile scraps littered the lineup, and everything built toward the three big fights at the top of the card. In addition to the featherweight feud between Dustin Poirier and ConorMcGregor, hard-charging lightweight Donald Cerrone was set to welcome former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez to the UFC fold. The action at UFC 178 would be capped off by a flyweight title bout where champion Demetrious Johnson would look to continue his streak of impressive title defenses, fighting heavy underdog Chris Cariaso.
Heated pre-fight faceoffs and months of trash-talking came to an end Saturday night in Las Vegas, and the action absolutely lived up to the hype. The violence was rolling at a steady clip heading into the final three bouts on the card, and the intensity definitely amplified when Poirier and McGregor stepped in to handle their business.
There has been a ton of hype surrounding the slick-talking Irishman since he stormed onto the UFC scene in 2013, and the Louisiana native was supposed to be his first big test in the featherweight ranks. That said, McGregor was confident The Diamond wouldn’t be much of a challenge at all, and the Irishman proved clairvoyant as he put Poirier away with a flurry in the opening round. The 26-year-old Dublin native said he was going to knock Poirier out in the first round, and McGregor is apparently a man of his word.
While the scrappy Irish star attempted to steal the show at UFC 178, neither Cerrone or Alvarez were willing to let the “Fight of the Night” bonus slip away. Cerrone, a 31-year-old Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter, had been wrecking shop on his way up the divisional ladder, and while it was Alvarez’s debut on Saturday night, a victory over Cerrone would put him right in the mix for a potential title shot.
The bout was figured to be a ruckus, and that’s exactly what unfolded when Cerrone and Alvarez got to work. Although the former Bellator champion took the opening round, Cerrone surged back to turn the tide in the final two frames. He used his superior striking skills to batter Alvarez for the final 10 minutes en route to a unanimous-decision victory and picked up one of the biggest wins of his career in the process.
While the main event typically draws the most attention, there wasn’t a ton of excitement surrounding the flyweight title tilt between Johnson and Cariaso. Nevertheless, Mighty Mouse added another impressive chapter to his dominant title reign as he battered Kamikaze until he ended the fight with a kimura in the second round. The win stamped another impressive chapter for a fighter who is definitely one of the pound-for-pound best in the world.
In addition to the mayhem atop the card, there was plenty of face-punching goodness that went down Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 178.
The Good
Johnson crushed Cariaso in the exact fashion he should have in the main event at UFC 178. Mighty Mouse is amazing and put on a dominant performance. There isn’t much more that needs to be said about that so let’s move on.
When Donald Cerrone‘s name is on a fight card, there is going to be a ruckus. Cowboy only knows how to fight one way: exciting.
The perennial lightweight contender had won four consecutive bouts coming into his tilt with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178 and was getting within striking distance of a potential title shot. That said, Cerrone has been near the top of the ladder before but suffered setbacks when the stakes were at their highest.
Yet Cerrone has looked like a different animal during his recent hot streak, and those ways continued against the former Bellator champion. Despite a slow start in the first round, Cerrone bounced back to thump Alvarez for the final two frames. The former WEC title challenger stalked Alvarez around the Octagon and peppered him with vicious leg kicks and knees to the body. In the final minute of the fight, a Cerrone leg kick crumpled Alvarez to the canvas, and the Colorado native spent the remaining moments of the bout handing out punishment from the top position.
The end result was a unanimous-decision victory and his fifth consecutive win over tough competition. While the 155-pound strap is on hold until champion Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez handle their business at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, the Albuquerque transplant certainly put himself in position to get the next shot at the lightweight title.
Then again, Cerrone‘s M.O. is fighting anywhere he can find one, and there’s a chance he’ll take another bout in the interim just because he’s Donald Cerrone.
Another fighter who is potentially on his way to a title opportunity is ConorMcGregor.
The SBG Ireland representative has made a huge impact since hitting the UFC in 2013 and is living up to every ounce of hype he’s created. Notorious put the entire featherweight division on notice before he ever stepped foot inside the Octagon, and he’s been leaving a path of destruction on his way to the top of the weight class.
The Irishman took another huge step up the divisional hierarchy at UFC 178 when he folded Dustin Poirier in the first round of their tilt. From the opening bell, McGregor stalked down the American Top Team fighter until the opportunity he was looking for presented itself. The Dublin native landed a left hand that put Poirier on the canvas and then used a flurry of hammer fists to finish the job. The end result was another dominant showing from the rising star, and it very well could have allowed him to leapfrog his peers in the hunt for a shot at the featherweight title.
*** After being away from the Octagon for nearly three years, Dominick Cruz made it look as if he never left with a 61-second trouncing of TakeyaMizugaki at UFC 178. The Dominator poured it on from the opening bell as he took the savvy veteran to the ground and beat the brakes off Mizugaki with a brutal flurry of ground-and-pound madness. The victory was as dominant as it gets inside the Octagon, and it will be interesting to see what the UFC chooses to do with Cruz. The former bantamweight champion had his title stripped back in February, and his performance Saturday night has earned him an opportunity to face current champion T.J. Dillashaw in his next fight, according to Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.
*** Another fighter who battled back from a long layoff to find success at UFC 178 was Cat Zingano. Alpha endured personal tragedy and a lengthy recovery from a knee injury to reemerge Saturday night and put a beating on Amanda Nunes. While Zingano was on the receiving end of a drubbing in the first round, the Colorado native rebounded with vigor and turned the tide en route to finishing Nunes with ground-and-pound in the final frame. With the victory, Zingano keeps her undefeated record intact and puts herself in position to get the next shot at Ronda Rousey and the women’s bantamweight title.
*** The lightweight division is one of the most talent-rich collectives under the UFC banner, and Jorge Masvidal is clawing his way up the ladder at 155 pounds. Gamebred picked up his third consecutive victory as he outstruck James Krause to pick up the unanimous-decision victory Saturday night. While both fighters are known for their rangy brand of striking, Masvidal‘s aggression ultimately made the difference. He used combinations to keep Krause on his heels throughout the entire bout. Masvidal‘s victory at UFC 178 makes him successful in three of his four showings since coming over from Strikeforce, and he will definitely draw a big name in his next outing.
*** The “prospect” label can be too heavy for some fighters to carry, but Stephen Thompson appears to be carrying expectations just fine. Wonderboy picked up his fourth consecutive victory inside the Octagon as he picked apart veteran Patrick Cote at UFC 178. While The Predator’s signature iron chin held up throughout the three-round affair, the scrappy Canadian had no answer for Thompson’s precision striking. With the win, Thompson logged another impressive performance and took another step closer to drawing one of the bigger names in the welterweight division.
*** Kevin Lee has looked impressive thus far under the UFC banner, and the 22-year-old picked up his second consecutive victory by defeating Jon Tuck on the Fight Pass portion of the card. The Xtreme Couture-trained fighter worked an effective game plan that allowed him to batter the Super Saiyan throughout the 15-minute affair. With the victory, Lee has now found success in two of his three showings inside the Octagon, and the future looks bright for the Detroit native.
*** Mixed martial arts is a game that requires constant evolution, and Manny Gamburyan is a fighter who has been trying to reinvent himself and find his footing for the past few years. The Anvil has tried his hand in several weight classes but has ultimately struggled to find success. The Ultimate Fighter season five alum made his bantamweight debut Saturday night against Cody Gibson and certainly put on a memorable performance. After getting smashed with a low blow and dropped from a big right hand, the savvy veteran battled back to earn the submission victory via guillotine choke. The win was his first in more than a year, and Gamburyan will be a solid addition to the 135-pound fold.
The Bad
Eddie Alvarez fought his heart out at UFC 178 but it ultimately wasn’t the debut The Underground King wanted to make.
After a lengthy court battle with his former promotion delayed his arrival to the UFC for more than a year, the former Bellator lightweight champion finally made his inaugural showing Saturday night inside the Octagon. The Philadelphia native wasted no time jumping into the deep end of the pool as he squared off with Donald Cerrone for his first test under the UFC banner.
While the Team Blackzilians fighter got off to a solid start against Cowboy, the rangy striker eventually found his rhythm and started picked Alvarez apart over the final two rounds. Yet despite Alvarez being on the receiving end of a brutal striking clinic, he continued to scrap until the final bell sounded. Again, it was a valiant effort from Alvarez against a red-hot Cerrone, but he wasn’t able to make the impact he’d hoped to make upon arrival.
There is no doubt Alvarez is one of the top 155-pound fighters in the world, and his tilt with Cerrone delivered the expected excitement, but it is going to be interesting to see how he fares in the shark tank that is the UFC’s lightweight division. That said, there appeared to be a huge size difference between Alvarez and Cerrone and a possible drop to featherweight could be in his future.
The Strange
Anytime Brian Ebersole brings his “Hairrow” into the Octagon, there is a place reserved for its glory in this column. There are no words that can do Ebersole‘s chest hair proper justice, so we’ll simply leave it be in all of its strange and wondrous beauty.
Moving on.
One of the most curious elements surrounding UFC 178 was the lack of promotional focus put on the main event matchup between flyweight champion Johnson and Cariaso. Granted, Cariaso being a huge underdog with few giving him much of a chance in the bout didn’t help matters, but there were other hovering circumstances that seemed to push the main event to the back burner in the lead up to the card Saturday night.
With a huge personality like McGregor and fan favorites Cerrone and Alvarez on the docket, there wasn’t much spotlight left when it came to Johnson versus Cariaso. That said, there is also a disconnect with the fanbase when it comes to the lighter weight classes, and it’s a stigma that Johnson has been battling since claiming the flyweight title back in 2012. There is no doubting that Mighty Mouse is one of the pound-for-pound best in the sport, but getting fans to care about watching him fight is definitely a problem the UFC is faced with.
The promotion was battered with heavy criticism when it put Johnson in the main event slot for UFC 174 back in June, and it took a different approach with how it handled things at UFC 178. Rather than force the flyweight champion to anchor the event, it put him atop a name-heavy card that had high-profile tilts that were all but guaranteed to deliver. Therefore, if Johnson cruised to victory like many believed he would (and certainly did), the success of the event wasn’t hinged on him.
Perhaps this will be the model the UFC uses to plug Johnson in with the fanbase going forward as it continues to battle uphill with selling its flyweight champion to viewers.
On a final and truly strange note, a few extra seconds—or 29 of them—can make all the difference between victory and defeat inside the Octagon.
After losing the opening round to Yoel Romero, former Strikeforce title challenger Tim Kennedy surged back in a big way in the second frame. The decorated military veteran began to find his range and put a blistering combination on the Cuban powerhouse that had Romero hanging on by a thread when the bell sounded. The Olympic silver medalist was still wobbly when he went to his corner, and it was clear the tide of momentum had turned in the fight.
That said, Romero’s corner was slow to clear out of the Octagon, and the start of the third round was delayed because of their antics. Referee John McCarthy began barking instructions for Romero to get off his stool and prepare to fight, but the American Top Team fighter continued to sit and ignored the warnings. Frustrated with the delay, Kennedy walked across the cage to voice his opinion, but McCarthy instructed him to return to his corner.
Romero eventually got up off the stool and the round began, but there is no doubt those extra moments gave the exhausted fighter a much-needed breather. Yet despite the outrage from Kennedy and his corner, the fight continued, and Romero put the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter away shortly after.
Romero apologized for the delay in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, but there will certainly be controversy in the aftermath of his TKO victory.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Demetrious Johnson dominated Chris Cariaso at UFC 178. It was what was expected, and that is exactly what happened.
Cariaso entered at the No. 8-ranked contender, but he has never shown the tools necessary to defeat Johnson inside the cage. It seemed l…
Demetrious Johnson dominated Chris Cariaso at UFC 178. It was what was expected, and that is exactly what happened.
Cariaso entered at the No. 8-ranked contender, but he has never shown the tools necessary to defeat Johnson inside the cage. It seemed like a matter of time before Johnson would get the finish. And that would come in the second round.
Johnson locked in a kimura in the second round to remain the champion of the 125-pound division.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Honestly, the fight was not that memorable aside from the finish. It is not that it was a bad fight or even boring, but it was Johnson doing whatever he wanted to do. It wasn’t compelling.
The finish is the only thing we will remember about the one-sided affair.
What We Learned About Chris Cariaso
I wouldn’t say we learned this but rather it was confirmed that Cariaso is not an elite fighter.
Cariaso has a lot of value to the UFC. He is often exciting, and he is a solid fighter in a thin division. He will help fill out cards, test potential contenders and continue to grow and develop into a better fighter.
The fight with Johnson will pay dividends, but don’t expect Cariaso to ever challenge for gold again.
What We Learned About Demetrious Johnson
We learned that he is a champion that looks to finish. This was a criticism of Johnson until recent finishes of John Moraga and Joseph Benadivdez shifted the perception.
Often we have seen fighters take on lower-level talent and decide to coast. To play it safe and don’t do anything risky. Johnson didn’t do that. “Mighty Mouse” was looking for the finish. He wanted to put on a show for the crowd and establish dominance.
That is a sign of a true champion, and one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the sport today.
What’s Next for Chris Cariaso
Cariaso stepped into the void left by John Dodson, and for that the UFC will reward him with another key fight in the division.
KyojiHoriguchi slides into that slot nicely.
He is currently the No. 13-ranked fighter in the division, on an eight-fight win streak and matches up well against Cariaso. It is a good rebound fight for Cariaso that still has some meaning in the division.
There is no interest, yet, in a third fight with Benavidez, and little interest in another fight against McCall. John Lineker has only won one fight and likely needs one more to be a legitimate contender. Who does that leave?
JussierFormiga.
He has won back-to-back fights and is ranked in the top five. He is the only fighter who makes complete sense right now. If the UFC waits for Lineker to get another win then he would be the more enticing option, or they can thrust McCall into the fight with minimal interest from the fans.
Formiga isn’t going to move the needle, and Johnson hasn’t shown that ability yet, either. This sets up as a Fox main event for early 2015, or a co-main event spot to a larger title fight.
Flyweight doesn’t have many good options for Johnson. Formiga is the best bet as right now.
There was a weird vibe in Las Vegas as