UFC 186 just added a little more shine to its lineup.
According to the UFC, the originally scheduled co-main event between top-five welterweights Rory MacDonald (18-2) and Hector Lombard (35-4-1, 1 no-contest) has been called off due to unknown c…
UFC 186 just added a little more shine to its lineup.
According to the UFC, the originally scheduled co-main event between top-five welterweights Rory MacDonald (18-2) and Hector Lombard (35-4-1, 1 no-contest) has been called off due to unknown circumstances. The press release said “updates for both fighters will be provided when available.”
Sliding into this co-headlining slot on April 25 in Montreal is a flyweight title fight between the champion, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (21-2-1), and his challenger, KyojiHoriguchi (15-1).
Johnson is the only flyweight champion in UFC history. He first won the belt in September 2012, earning a split-decision victory over Joseph Benavidez (21-4) at UFC 152. Since then, he’s defended his strap five times, establishing himself as the clear-cut No. 1 flyweight in the world in the process.
He’s finished three of his five title defenses, and his two decisions were unanimously decided in his favor.
To his credit, Horiguchi has looked phenomenal since coming to the UFC in October 2013.
The Japanese standout is 4-0 inside the Octagon, finishing half of his bouts via TKO and generally dominating his competition along the way.
Against Mighty Mouse, he’s facing a different animal than the likes of Louis Gaudinot and Darrell Montague, but he’s proven himself a worthy challenger throughout the course of his 16-fight professional career.
Interestingly enough, Johnson recently told Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, via Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com, that he’d fight UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (11-2) for the low, low price of $2 million.
Dillashaw headlines UFC 186 in a rematch against RenanBarao (33-2, 1 no-contest), so if both Johnson and Dillashaw notch victories on the evening, we may hear these “superfight” talks heat up a bit during the post-fight press conference.
With this switch-up, the UFC 186 card now looks like this:
Do you think Horiguchi has a chance against Johnson, or will this be another relatively stress-free title defense for the 125-pound king?
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updates on MacDonald and Lombard as details are released.
Although UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson doesn’t have a history of beef with T.J. Dillashaw, “Mighty Mouse” said he wouldn’t be opposed to locking horns with the bantamweight champ—but only if the money is right.
During Monday’s episode of…
Although UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson doesn’t have a history of beef with T.J. Dillashaw, “Mighty Mouse” said he wouldn’t be opposed to locking horns with the bantamweight champ—but only if the money is right.
During Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, per a report by MMA Fighting, Johnson described a recent run-in with Dillashaw and how the two champs talked about meeting in the Octagon for a superfight and a super payday:
I was like, ‘Hey, I told everybody that I’ll fight you. He was like, ‘You did?’ I said, ‘Yes and I told everybody we gotta get paid. I said $2 million.’ He goes, ‘Eff, yeah. I’m down with that.’
Mighty Mouse already holds wins over top-ranked UFC flyweight John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez (No. 2), Ian McCall (No. 3), John Moraga (No. 4), Ali Bagautinov (No. 6) and Chris Cariaso (No. 9). In the cases of Benavidez and McCall, he’s topped them both twice.
But because he’s essentially conquered every deserving contender at flyweight, Johnson could realistically compete in a superfight the next time he graces the Octagon.
That theory grew even stronger when seventh-ranked John Lineker failed to make weight before defeating McCall in a catchweightbout at UFC 183. The incident marked the fourth time in which Lineker didn’t make weight at flyweight. The 24-year-old Lineker also didn’t make weight at UFC on Fox 3, UFC 163 and UFC Fight Night 30.
Following UFC 183, President Dana White told Combate, per a report by Sherdog, that Lineker will have to bump up a weight class if he wants to continue fighting in the UFC.
“Lineker will never fight at flyweight again. He will have to move up to bantamweight,” White said.
After watching Lineker impressively beat six of his last seven opponents, Johnson was licking his chops for a chance to potentially fight the explosive Brazilian, per MMA Fighting:
It does suck for the flyweight division. That was the No. 1 contender. He’s been on a hot streak, destroying his opponents. Not just squeaking by. It would have made for a great fight for me and the fans.
Johnson hasn’t defended his belt since submitting Cariaso with a kimura at UFC 178. Mighty Mouse has gone unbeaten in eight fights since dropping to 125.
Dillashaw, meanwhile, has won seven of his last eight bouts, including four via KO/TKO. Dillashaw has won his only two career UFC title fights via KO from a head kick and follow-up punches.
Demetrious Johnson is widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters competing in MMA today. Yet, despite his success inside the Octagon, UFC flyweight contender John Dodson believes Mighty Mouse is having a negative impact on the division….
Demetrious Johnson is widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters competing in MMA today. Yet, despite his success inside the Octagon, UFC flyweight contender John Dodson believes Mighty Mouse is having a negative impact on the division.
Speaking with Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com, Dodson praised the champion’s abilities inside the cage but pointed to his actions outside of fighting being a hindrance on all UFC flyweights.
He’s showcasing his ability to be a true champion by being able to finish by strikes, submissions, or a winning decision without squeaking by anybody. With that being said, him not being able to pop kind of ruins it for all of us. That’s why we all need to step up as athletes and start doing it ourselves. If the division wants to have some limelight, then we need to start having some other fighters who can present that opportunity.
Indeed, the UFC flyweight division has been on an uphill climb since the creation of the division. UFC middleweight Michael Bisping infamously called his showdown with Brian Stann at UFC 152 “the real main event” despite the fact Johnson and Joseph Benavidez were headlining the card for the inaugural UFC flyweight championship.
According to MMAPayout, Johnson’s UFC 174 title defense managed a meager 115,000 pay-per-view buys, and his most recent title defense at UFC 178 barely eclipsed the 200,000 buyrate. Johnson has also struggled in the TV ratings as well.
It’s not the first time a fellow flyweight has called out Johnson for his lack of promoting himself or upcoming fights. Back in October, Ian McCall was blunt in his criticism of the champion when speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“No one really gives a s–t about us, and it’s true,” McCall claimed. “The guy has the personality of my coffee mug. Actually, my coffee mug has more personality because it’s a Joe Rogan coffee mug, so never mind. He doesn‘t do his job as far as marketing.”
McCall is also doing his part to create some intrigue in the division with his upcoming fight against John Lineker. Originally scheduled for UFC Fight Night 56, the two men exchanged verbal jabs at one another through Twitter in the lead-up to their fight.
McCall also hilariously took his time to sip on some fluids prior to the two men having a post-weigh-in staredown after the Brazilian missed weight.
McCall would be admitted to a hospital the night before the bout was to happen and the two would be rescheduled to compete at UFC 183. Lineker has since offered McCall a “peace offering” of sorts.
While fighters have been quick to point to Johnson’s personality traits as a reason why the flyweight division has struggled, it’s not the main factor. Numbers are down across the board, which doesn’t help, but it’s also due in large part to the dominance the champion has displayed in his contests.
Johnson has already defeated most of the top contenders in the division and has made it look easy in the process. The only man to give Johnson trouble since he became champion was Dodson, but the challenger is still recovering from an ACL injury.
Without credible challengers, it’s going to be hard for the UFC to promote Johnson’s title fights as something of a special event. Lineker has struggled with making weight, KyojiHoriguchi is a rising contender but is still likely at least two fights away from a title shot, and most of the top 10 already has a loss from Johnson.
Johnson isn’t the most marketable champion in terms of drawing fans in, but as Dodson pointed out, that puts the ball squarely in the court of rising challengers to do their job of selling fights with or without the belt on the line.
When Ian McCall and John Lineker square off on the UFC 183 prelims on Saturday, they should be fighting for a shot at the UFC flyweight championship. McCall has fought Johnson twice already, but a win over the hard-hitting Lineker would be enough to ea…
When Ian McCall and John Lineker square off on the UFC 183 prelims on Saturday, they should be fighting for a shot at the UFC flyweight championship. McCall has fought Johnson twice already, but a win over the hard-hitting Lineker would be enough to earn him another title shot. And for Lineker, a successful battle with the scales combined with a win over McCall would put him at the front of the line in the flyweight division.
Since the inception of the UFC flyweight division in 2012, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has rode roughshod over the competition. He’s dispatched every contender the UFC has thrown at him and it has been against the very best fighters in the world at 125 pounds. He’s defended his title five times and is ready for his next challenge.
Lineker has won five of his last six fights and last fought in a thriller with AlptekinOzkilic at Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller in July of last year. With the first attempt at a fight with McCall getting scrapped, Lineker wanted to move straight to the title fight and take on Johnson, but he should have to get past McCall to get the title fight.
Lineker also has to get past another issue that’s been impacting his UFC career: making the flyweight limit. He has struggled to come in at 126 pounds in the past, and in a title fight he would have to hit 125 on the dot, something he didn’t do the first time he weighed in for the McCall fight.
Lineker came up short in a unanimous-decision loss against Ali Bagautinov last February, who was the only truly top-level flyweight he had faced up until that point. He needs a win over a top-ranked fighter like McCall to fully establish himself as a title contender.
McCall’s 18-fight career was built on fighting top competition. He faced Johnson back-to-back in his first two appearances inside the Octagon, and had a close fight against Joseph Benavidez.
His run in Tachi Palace Fights consisted of wins over Jussierda Silva, Dustin Ortiz and Darrell Montague, who all have since made their way to the UFC. He took on Charlie Valencia and Dominick Cruz during his time fighting in the WEC cage.
He didn’t always win but he has always fought the best possible competition, and he is now on the verge of a third chance to dethrone Johnson. If he can get past the “Hands of Stone” of Lineker, he should get another five rounds with Johnson.
McCall and Linekeraren’t the only two flyweights on the hunt for a title shot, though. The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 winner John Dodson is currently on the mend from an ACL injury he suffered last year. He won the 14th Season of The Ultimate Fighter with a first-round TKO over current UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in 2011.
He has gone on a 5-1 UFC run with his only loss coming in a close fight with Mighty Mouse in January 2013. He has stated recently he is looking for a UFC title shot, whether it comes against Johnson or Dillashaw.
Another fighter vying for a rematch with “Mighty Mouse” is John Moraga, who has won three of his four fights since losing to the champion in July 2013. Moraga is coming off of back-to-back submission wins, and the 30-year-old MMA Lab fighter seems to be honing his skill set in his second campaign towards the title. But he needs another win over a high-level flyweight to earn a second crack at the championship.
Johnson’s plate seems to be filled with the prospect of rematches with guys he’s already defeated. His next go-round in the Octagon might be against a familiar foe in “Uncle Creepy” Ian McCall, or against a new challenger in Lineker. Either way, the flyweight fight at UFC 183 should provide the division’s next title challenger.
It has been a crazy week for the bantamweight division and its champion T.J. Dillashaw.
Where the reigning 135-pound king was slated to face former long-standing title holder Dominick Cruz in a highly anticipated bout sometime in 2015, those plans were…
It has been a crazy week for the bantamweight division and its champion T.J. Dillashaw.
Where the reigning 135-pound king was slated to face former long-standing title holder Dominick Cruz in a highly anticipated bout sometime in 2015, those plans were scrapped in a big way when “The Dominator” announced he’d suffered yet another knee injury. It was undoubtedly a crushing blow for Cruz—who had recently ended a three-year layoff with a triumphant return at UFC 178 back in September—and the shake-up in the bantamweight title picture wouldn‘t stop there.
Several minutes after the Team Alliance representative broke the news of his injury, fellow contender Raphael Assuncao took to his Twitter account to announce he’d suffered a broken ankle in training and would also be out for an extended period of time. The Brazilian veteran is sitting on a seven-fight winning streak and has been campaigning for a title opportunity for the better part of the past two years. With Cruz out of the picture, the shot at Dillashaw‘s strap more than likely would have gone to him, but with the Atlanta-based fighter also on the sidelines, the entire championship picture went into a state of chaos.
Suddenly the MMA community erupted into a matchmaking frenzy as everyone from the champion’s longtime teammate and close friend Urijah Faber, in addition to a collection of several “super fights” with other divisional champions. Of all the potential matchups floating around the MMA universe, the one seemingly most compelling to fans was a possible showdown with his Team Alpha Male leader. Yet, while the “mentor versus protege” storyline would undoubtedly be a huge pull, and with Faber being the former poster boy for the lighter weight classes and Dillashaw being the leader of the “new school” of sorts, getting both fighters to agree to the bout would be a huge task for the UFC to accomplish.
If that scenario wasn’t an option, that would bump former champion and resurgent contender RenanBarao back to the front of the line. Dillashaw upset “The Baron” to claim the bantamweight throne back in May, and the two rivals were slated for an immediate rematch three months later at UFC 177, but the Nova Uniao representative had medical issues arise during his weight cut and was ultimately scratched from the bout and replaced by newcomer Joe Soto.
Even with the Brazilian striker’s recent submission victory over prospect Mitch Gagnon at Fight Night 58, Barao appeared to still be a few fights away from getting another shot to reclaim his title. Yet, that was before the injuries to Cruz and Assuncao were announced, and after a few strange turns Barao was back in the proverbial game.
With so much uncertainty on the road ahead and plenty of potential opponents floating about, E. Spencer Kyte from The Province’s Keyboard Kimura caught up to Dillashaw to get his thoughts on the options he’s facing and who he’d like to see standing across from him inside the Octagon. One person he has in mind is current flyweight champion and noted pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson. Dillashaw would love a clash between champions, and he wouldn‘t mind mixing it up with another current title holder as well.
That’d be awesome. That’s a big fight, same as me and Aldo – Champion versus Champion. That’s pretty cool. That’s something that is pretty awesome and you don’t really see it happening, so I wouldn’t turn that down either.
I said fighting Aldo as something that I would love to do when I saw him fight Mendes because I knew I could beat him. I would love to get that opportunity. I don’t know that it would be given to me because I haven’t fought at 145, but I know I can beat the guy. If it were me choosing and with the goal that I have set for myself of holding two belts, that would be the way that I want to go. I don’t know if it’s likely though.
While facing either the current 125-pound or 145-pound champions would be appealing to Dillashaw, one fight that isn’t going to be an option is the rumored tilt with Faber. Despite the broader appeal with the fanbase and the UFC surely wanting to put it together, Dillashaw simply isn’t willing to trade leather with the man who played such a crucial part in his entry into mixed martial arts.
The main focus I thought of was that I don’t want to fight Urijah and I know that’s something they’re going to push. That was my first thing. It’s different if it was something where I’ve trained with the guy a couple times or I’ve had a couple camps here, but I spend every day of training here at Team Alpha Male, so that would be a tough thing for me to do.
The only reason why I’m fighting is because of him; he talked me into it. I was going to go to school.
This of course leaves the most obvious option in his weight class as a rematch with Barao. And with all the turmoil and eventual letdown the former champion caused the last time they had a contract to compete inside the cage, Dillashaw isn’t very keen on Barao getting another shot at his title so quickly.
I don’t mind fighting Barao again because to me it looks like an even easier fight. I didn’t think he looked very good his last fight. For being the killer that he was, I see me demolishing him again. Sure it’s another payday and there would be some hype behind it, but I don’t think he deserves a title shot.
I didn’t feel like he deserved a rematch to begin with, but they gave it to him and he didn’t make weight. Now he had a performance with Mitch Gagnon that didn’t look very good. I don’t mind fighting the guy, but I don’t feel like I’m going to build my name up any higher by beating him up again.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
But of course, CagePotato is just a mid-level MMA blog trying to find its way in this world with zero access to Zuffa executives. The crazy part is, the UFC’s own stars are still in dark about what the sponsorship agreement will mean for their finances, two weeks after the announcement was first made.
Case in point: MMAJunkie published an interview with Demetrious Johnson yesterday, in which the long-reigning flyweight champion wondered aloud what the UFC’s new sponsorship landscape will mean for his existing sponsorship with Xbox, which is now basically deceased; Johnson will not be able to wear Xbox logos in the Octagon when the UFC/Reebox partnership officially kicks in next year. Johnson’s comments were somewhat shocking, because it seems like he knows as little about the Reebok deal’s specifics as we do. Here are some choice quotes…
A guy like Nick Diaz, for example, comes out with all his Metal Mulisha, all his sponsorships,” Johnson said. “Let’s say from those sponsorships he makes like $80,000 to go in the octagon. That’s a nice payday just for wearing sponsorships.
“Lets say the UFC says, ‘Hey man, you’ve got to wear Reebok tomorrow.’ And he says, ‘OK, that sounds good. Here are all my pay stubs and my contracts for my last fight. They’re paying me $80,000, so what’s Reebok going to pay me?’ They say, ‘You’re ranked second in the world, so we’re going to pay you $2,000 to wear Reebok.’ For me, I think that’s not necessarily fair because there’s basically $78,000 that’s unaccounted for. If UFC’s going to compensate me with the same amount, that’s fantastic. If not, that’s a big boo-boo”…
But of course, CagePotato is just a mid-level MMA blog trying to find its way in this world with zero access to Zuffa executives. The crazy part is, the UFC’s own stars are still in dark about what the sponsorship agreement will mean for their finances, two weeks after the announcement was first made.
Case in point: MMAJunkie published an interview with Demetrious Johnson yesterday, in which the long-reigning flyweight champion wondered aloud what the UFC’s new sponsorship landscape will mean for his existing sponsorship with Xbox, which is now basically deceased; Johnson will not be able to wear Xbox logos in the Octagon when the UFC/Reebox partnership officially kicks in next year. Johnson’s comments were somewhat shocking, because it seems like he knows as little about the Reebok deal’s specifics as we do. Here are some choice quotes…
A guy like Nick Diaz, for example, comes out with all his Metal Mulisha, all his sponsorships,” Johnson said. “Let’s say from those sponsorships he makes like $80,000 to go in the octagon. That’s a nice payday just for wearing sponsorships.
“Lets say the UFC says, ‘Hey man, you’ve got to wear Reebok tomorrow.’ And he says, ‘OK, that sounds good. Here are all my pay stubs and my contracts for my last fight. They’re paying me $80,000, so what’s Reebok going to pay me?’ They say, ‘You’re ranked second in the world, so we’re going to pay you $2,000 to wear Reebok.’ For me, I think that’s not necessarily fair because there’s basically $78,000 that’s unaccounted for. If UFC’s going to compensate me with the same amount, that’s fantastic. If not, that’s a big boo-boo”…
“I think everyone would hope (they’re paid the same or more as before), whether they’re the champion or not,” Johnson said. “I would hope the person on the prelims card who is ranked 20th in the UFC, if they’re making $10,000 from Dynamic Fastener, I believe they have the right to be paid that. That’s just me being an honest person.
“If the person can show what they are making and this Reebok deal isn’t making the same, they should be making it right. That’s my take on it. I support the UFC, I’m happy for this deal, and I hope it helps out a lot of fighters, including myself”…
“I think it’s a good thing to where people don’t have to run out and struggle to find sponsorships and all that stuff,” Johnson said. “But at the end of the day, I just don’t want people to be stripped of what they can bring in. That’s my biggest thing about it. If a person is getting paid $80,000 for something and they’re told they can’t wear it anymore and they’re losing that money, then something needs to happen about that…We won’t know how good the deal is until we see the actual fine print.”
Disclaimer: Demetrious Johnson doesn’t know how much money Nick Diaz actually receives from Metal Mulisha, or how much a prelim fighter makes from Dynamic Fastener, and even we’re not pessimistic enough to think that #2-ranked UFC fighters will only earn $2,000 per fight from Reebok. Essentially, this is just nervous chatter from someone who has no idea what’s going on.
The problem is, that “someone” is a UFC champion and frequent headliner. Having Demetrious Johnson voice these concerns in the media is a public relations black eye for the UFC, and it could have been avoided if the promotion actually explained to its fighters what impact this would have on their income, preferably before the Reebok deal was even announced.
The UFC’s lack of communication and transparency on this issue tells us all we need to know. If the promotion’s top stars stood to earn a lot more money from Reebok than they were earning from their existing sponsorships, the UFC would be pushing that narrative as hard as possible. Instead, they’re silent — and champions like Demetrious Johnson have every reason to be nervous.
UFC 186 just added a little more shine to its lineup. 