Tag: Demetrious Johnson

John Moraga (Yes, THE John Moraga) to Face Demetrious Johnson Next at the TUF 17 Finale in April


(Aaaannndd in the blue corner, fighting out of…uh…parts unknown, and sporting a professional record of…*cough*teen and one…Juan Mordana!) 

Right now, the UFC’s flyweight division consists of less fighters than there are students in the average Introduction to Genetics and Evolution class at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. And while this doesn’t exactly provide fans with a plethora of matchups to get excited about, it does provide several of the division’s fighters with a short path to a title shot. Take John Moraga, for instance, the flyweight fighter sporting a 2-0 UFC record who was announced earlier today as the next challenger to Demetrious Johnson’s throne. Moraga will be given a chance to shock the world in the main event of the upcoming TUF 17 Finale, which transpires from the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13th.

To be fair, Morega has about as impressive a two fight (UFC) win streak as you can have, especially given the size of the pond he is swimming in. After knocking out the highly-touted former Tachi Palace Fights champion, Ulysses Gomez, in his promotional debut, Morega scored a third round come-from-behind submission victory over experienced octagon vet Chris Cariaso at UFC 155. In fact, the only loss you’d find on the 14 fight record of Moraga dates back to December of 2010 and came, ironically enough, to the last man that was defeated by “Mighty Mouse,” John Dodson. Like we said, it’s a(n appropriately) small pond.

So this is a bit of an odd pairing, sure, but if Moraga’s debut performance was any indication, the dude can trade with the best of them and has some devastating KO power to boot. But as was the case with Dodson, this fight won’t be a question of when Moraga lands, but if he can land when dealing with the inhuman speed of Johnson.

Also scheduled for the TUF 17 Finale…


(Aaaannndd in the blue corner, fighting out of…uh…parts unknown, and sporting a professional record of…*cough*teen and one…Juan Mordana!) 

Right now, the UFC’s flyweight division consists of less fighters than there are students in the average Introduction to Genetics and Evolution class at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. And while this doesn’t exactly provide fans with a plethora of matchups to get excited about, it does provide several of the division’s fighters with a short path to a title shot. Take John Moraga, for instance, the flyweight fighter sporting a 2-0 UFC record who was announced earlier today as the next challenger to Demetrious Johnson’s throne. Moraga will be given a chance to shock the world in the main event of the upcoming TUF 17 Finale, which transpires from the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13th.

To be fair, Morega has about as impressive a two fight (UFC) win streak as you can have, especially given the size of the pond he is swimming in. After knocking out the highly-touted former Tachi Palace Fights champion, Ulysses Gomez, in his promotional debut, Morega scored a third round come-from-behind submission victory over experienced octagon vet Chris Cariaso at UFC 155. In fact, the only loss you’d find on the 14 fight record of Moraga dates back to December of 2010 and came, ironically enough, to the last man that was defeated by “Mighty Mouse,” John Dodson. Like we said, it’s a(n appropriately) small pond.

So this is a bit of an odd pairing, sure, but if Moraga’s debut performance was any indication, the dude can trade with the best of them and has some devastating KO power to boot. But as was the case with Dodson, this fight won’t be a question of when Moraga lands, but if he can land when dealing with the inhuman speed of Johnson.

Also scheduled for the TUF 17 Finale…

Gabriel Gonzaga. Trust me, that name feels just as weird to write as it does to read. The master of surrealist video art who announced his retirement from the sport after getting axed by the UFC back in 2010 has returned a renewed fighter, collecting three straight (two in the UFC) victories by submission, otherwise known as the things Gonzaga was always really good at but refused to use during his first run in the octagon. “Napao” most recently strangled the life out of Ben Rothwell in the first round of their scrap at UFC on FX 7. Standing across the cage from Gonzaga will be a hard hitting heavyweight with a solid submission game in Travis Browne, who saw a three fight win streak snapped by the surging Antonio Silva back at UFC on FX 5 in October.

Who do you like for these, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones

UFC News: Demetrious Johnson Defends Title Against John Moraga at ‘TUF’ Finale

Add UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to the list of title holders that like to stay active. After winning his first title defense against John Dodson at UFC on FOX 6 last month, “Mighty Mouse” already has his next opponent lined up: John …

Add UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to the list of title holders that like to stay active. 

After winning his first title defense against John Dodson at UFC on FOX 6 last month, “Mighty Mouse” already has his next opponent lined up: John Moraga. 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first media outlet to report the news. 

Barring any setbacks, the April 13 event marks the first time a title will be on the line for an “Ultimate Fighter” finale, as the finals of the tournament typically headline the events. 

The under-the-radar Moraga is a former Division I wrestler for Arizona State University and boasts a 13-1 record as a professional mixed martial artist, coincidentally having his only loss coming to Dodson back in Dec. 2010 on the regional scene. 

Since then, Moraga has won seven straight (including five finishes) and is 2-0 (both finishes) inside the Octagon. 

Moraga most recently won “Submission of the Night” honors when he tapped out Chris Cariaso with a guillotine choke at UFC 155 in December. 

Johnson, the UFC’s first flyweight title holder, is 3-0-1 since moving down from bantamweight, winning the vacant championship gold in a bout against Team Alpha Male veteran Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 in September. 

This fight would also be the fifth time Johnson steps inside the cage in just over a 13-month time frame. 

Other bouts announced for the card today include the second women’s fight in UFC history, where former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate takes on Cat Zingano (as tweeted by UFC Brazil), while at he heavyweight, Gabriel Gonzaga faces a stiff test against Travis Browne (via Dana White). 

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The 20 Greatest Moments in Black MMA History


(“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington.)

By Jason Moles

Despite protests from people of every color, February is Black History Month, and as such, I’ve compiled a chronological timeline of the greatest moments in black MMA history. Like famed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, I “don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” But until we get our collective act together and abolish this antiquated celebration, I find it only appropriate to bring to the forefront the most spectacular moments and accomplishments of these world-class athletes, who just so happen to be black.

12/16/1994 – UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors

Ron Van Clief entered the eight-man tournament at UFC 4 against future UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie at the ripe old age of 51, making him the oldest competitor to date to compete inside the Octagon. Even though the former U.S. Marine lost via rear naked choke in under four minutes by the BJJ master himself, Van Clief proved that the warrior spirit knows no age limits.

7/27/1997 – UFC 14: Showdown

After defeating Mark Coleman in a superfight by unanimous decision, kickboxer Maurice Smith became the first-ever black UFC champion. “Mo” didn’t let his underdog status leading up to the fight discourage him. Instead, it made his victory all the more sweet; especially considering this was the first time a striker of any caliber withstood the grinding onslaught of a world-class wrestler.


(“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington.)

By Jason Moles

Despite protests from people of every color, February is Black History Month, and as such, I’ve compiled a chronological timeline of the greatest moments in black MMA history. Like famed Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, I “don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” But until we get our collective act together and abolish this antiquated celebration, I find it only appropriate to bring to the forefront the most spectacular moments and accomplishments of these world-class athletes, who just so happen to be black.

12/16/1994 – UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors

Ron Van Clief entered the eight-man tournament at UFC 4 against future UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie at the ripe old age of 51, making him the oldest competitor to date to compete inside the Octagon. Even though the former U.S. Marine lost via rear naked choke in under four minutes by the BJJ master himself, Van Clief proved that the warrior spirit knows no age limits.

7/27/1997 – UFC 14: Showdown

After defeating Mark Coleman in a superfight by unanimous decision, kickboxer Maurice Smith became the first-ever black UFC champion. “Mo” didn’t let his underdog status leading up to the fight discourage him. Instead, it made his victory all the more sweet; especially considering this was the first time a striker of any caliber withstood the grinding onslaught of a world-class wrestler.

On the very same night, Kevin Jackson became the Wendell Scott of Ultimate Fighting by becoming the first and only black fighter to win a UFC tournament. Jackson faced Todd Butler in the semi-finals. The Olympic gold medalist punched his way to a submission win in just over a minute. In the finals, Jackson submitted Tony Fryklund — who earlier in the night had hit his opponent after the bell before stepping on him as he walked away — with a slick rear naked choke in just 44 seconds.

5/4/2001 – UFC 31: Locked & Loaded

Carlos Newton became the first black UFC welterweight champion after handing Pat Miletich his first loss inside the Octagon, effectually ending the Croatian Sensation’s nearly three-year reign with the gold. Both of those facts are impressive in their own right, but I think we’re all more amazed that “The Ronin” did it with a bulldog choke.

Earlier that night, Shonie Carter gave us a highlight reel knockout for the ages when he utilized the fan favorite fight finisher known as the spinning back fist to defeat Matt Serra. This is what Chael Sonnen had in mind when he attempted to do the same to Anderson Silva in their rematch at UFC 148. Although not the most spectacular KO in black MMA history (more on that later), it’s still worthy of a spot on the timeline for its sheer awesomeness.

4/25/2004 – Pride Total Elimination 2004

Kevin Randleman pulls off the most lopsided upset of the year with a knockout of the year finish of Mirco “Cro Cop” Filipovic. After losing his last two bouts in PRIDE, Randleman stepped in the ring with the 2003 Black Belt Magazine full-contact fighter of the year. “Cro Cop” hadn’t let an opponent get out of the first round all year. Randleman was no different — but not for the reasons you’d expect. Using his Mark Coleman-esque wrestling with two-minute drill urgency, “The Monster” rushed the former K-1 kickboxer and eventually shocked the entire Saitama Super Arena with a powerful left hook that sent Filipovic to the canvas before landing a barrage of blows to the skull prompting the referee to call a stop to the action.

6/20/2004 – Pride Critical Countdown 2004

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson borrowed a page from “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel when he power bombed Ricardo Arona, in one of the most spectacular knockouts in the history of the sport. The only difference is that when Rampage did it his opponent didn’t just lie there pretending to be incapacitated, he literally got KTFO.

11/5/2005 – The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale

“Suga” Rashad Evans earns a six-figure contract with the UFC after winning a split-decision fight against Brad Imes in the heavyweight finals. This also makes him the first African-American man to win the grand prize of the MMA reality TV show. A win on cable television was just the thing to launch Evans’s impressive UFC career.

10/14/2006 – UFC 64: Unstoppable

In only his second showing inside the Octagon, Anderson Silva proves that the only thing “unstoppable” is himself. UFC poster boy Rich Franklin found himself on the wrong side of a violent beatdown that night. “The Spider” masterfully executed devastating knees from the Muay Thai-clinch, breaking Franklin’s nose in the process. It wasn’t long before the former high school math teacher collapsed in a bloody heap on the mat halting the attack. This marked the first time in UFC history that a black fighter held the middleweight strap.


(Photo via Kent Horner/WireImage)

5/26/2007 – UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson

Riding a seven-fight win streak, Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell sought to avenge his TKO loss to Quinton Jackson at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003. But that just wasn’t in the cards. After roughly a minute and a half, “Rampage” dropped Liddell with a Knockout of the Night-winning right hook to become the first black fighter to capture the UFC’s light-heavyweight championship.

On the next page: Kimbo, Jon Jones, and Mighty Mouse leave their own marks on the sport…

‘UFC on FOX 6? Ratings Update: Flyweights Pull Strong Numbers, Fall Just Short of Henderson vs. Diaz


(The average new viewer tuned in for 5 minutes and 54 seconds before realizing they weren’t watching ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’ Photo via Tracy Lee/Cagewriter.)

For those of you who thought that the UFC’s decision to headline a FOX card with 125-pounders was promotional suicide, it’s time to eat some crow. According to the final ratings numbers, UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson drew an average of 4.4 million viewers last Saturday, peaking at 5.2 million viewers for the flyweight championship main event. That’s only a slight decrease from the viewership of the last FOX card, which attracted 4.4 million average viewers with a peak of 5.7 million for the Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz lightweight title fight.

Judging from the data here and here, Johnson vs. Dodson’s 5.2 million viewer peak would place it around #13 on the list of the most-watched MMA fights of all time in the United States. It’ll be interesting to see how the next UFC on FOX event on April 20th stacks up, as it features a returning star in Benson Henderson — and an excellent heavyweight feature adding weight to the main card — but won’t benefit from the frequent promos during NFL broadcasts that UFC on FOX 6 received.

For a quick comparison of the average viewerships for each UFC on FOX card so far, check out the numbers after the jump…


(The average new viewer tuned in for 5 minutes and 54 seconds before realizing they weren’t watching ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’ Photo via Tracy Lee/Cagewriter.)

For those of you who thought that the UFC’s decision to headline a FOX card with 125-pounders was promotional suicide, it’s time to eat some crow. According to the final ratings numbers, UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson drew an average of 4.4 million viewers last Saturday, peaking at 5.2 million viewers for the flyweight championship main event. That’s only a slight decrease from the viewership of the last FOX card, which attracted 4.4 million average viewers with a peak of 5.7 million for the Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz lightweight title fight.

Judging from the data here and here, Johnson vs. Dodson’s 5.2 million viewer peak would place it around #13 on the list of the most-watched MMA fights of all time in the United States. It’ll be interesting to see how the next UFC on FOX event on April 20th stacks up, as it features a returning star in Benson Henderson — and an excellent heavyweight feature adding weight to the main card — but won’t benefit from the frequent promos during NFL broadcasts that UFC on FOX 6 received.

For a quick comparison of the average viewerships for each UFC on FOX card so far, check out the numbers after the jump…

UFC on FOX 1 (Velasquez vs. Dos Santos): 5.7 million average viewers
UFC on FOX 2 (Evans vs. Davis): 4.7 million
UFC on FOX 3 (Diaz vs. Miller): 2.4 million
UFC on FOX 4 (Rua vs. Vera): 2.4 million
UFC on FOX 5 (Henderson vs. Diaz): 4.4 million
UFC on FOX 6 (Johnson vs. Dodson): 4.2 million

Rest Easy, Flyweights: The UFC is Currently Scouting 115-Pounders to Take the Brunt of Fan Criticism in the Near Future

(My God, the “TUF 18: Strawweights” team challenges are going to be OFF THE CHAIN.) 

In an interview with MMAJunkie, UFC President Dana White revealed that the promotion had recently traveled to Mexico to scout fighters for a possible 115-pound division in the UFC. Considering the UFC’s hesitance to even use the word “Flyweight” during their promotion of UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson, this news should come as a pretty big surprise to most of us. Then again, The Baldfather previously stated that we would never see women’s MMA in the UFC, and now this is a thing that is happening. And according to White, the trip was a huge success:

It went very well. A lot of guys showed up, it was very successful, and the guys we sent down were very excited with what they saw.

As we know, the UFC’s flyweight division was added all of a year ago, and is currently composed of just 13 fighters. While last weekend’s event should have put all doubt to rest in regards to the legitimacy and marketability of the smaller weight classes, it also highlighted a noticeable problem in the division: matchmaking. Granted, the division is still in the infant stages of development, but if the UFC is looking to continue promoting flyweights in the long run, their focus should be on beefing up that division, not necessarily adding another. Still, this is good news for any disgruntled Ewoks, Oompa Loompas, or members of The Lollipop Guild who find themselves outmatched by the mammoth of a man that is Demetrious Johnson.


(My God, the “TUF 18: Strawweights” team challenges are going to be OFF THE CHAIN.) 

In an interview with MMAJunkie, UFC President Dana White revealed that the promotion had recently traveled to Mexico to scout fighters for a possible 115-pound division in the UFC. Considering the UFC’s hesitance to even use the word “Flyweight” during their promotion of UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson, this news should come as a pretty big surprise to most of us. Then again, The Baldfather previously stated that we would never see women’s MMA in the UFC, and now this is a thing that is happening. And according to White, the trip was a huge success:

It went very well. A lot of guys showed up, it was very successful, and the guys we sent down were very excited with what they saw.

As we know, the UFC’s flyweight division was added all of a year ago, and is currently composed of just 13 fighters. While last weekend’s event should have put all doubt to rest in regards to the legitimacy and marketability of the smaller weight classes, it also highlighted a noticeable problem in the division: matchmaking. Granted, the division is still in the infant stages of development, but if the UFC is looking to continue promoting flyweights in the long run, their focus should be on beefing up that division, not necessarily adding another. Still, this is good news for any disgruntled Ewoks, Oompa Loompas, or members of The Lollipop Guild who find themselves outmatched by the mammoth of a man that is Demetrious Johnson.

White also took some time to address the criticism currently being aimed at flyweights by many of the sport’s casual fans:

I think you had some people talking smack here and there (about the flyweights). But if you’re a real fight fan, how do you not like Ian (McCall)? How do you not like Joe (Benavidez)? How do you not like (Johnson and Dodson) that were here tonight? When people say shit like that to me, it’s hard for me to respond without being a real asshole. It’s really hard for me. 

I hereby nominate “It’s hard for me to respond without being a real asshole” as the title of Dana’s eventual autobiography. Of course, that would open up all kinds of possibilities for the title of June White’s scathing response novel: “My Son, the Asshole,” “Dana White: Self-Admitted Asshole,” or the more classically-titled “Being an Asshole and the Human Response: The Story of Devil Spawn Dana White.” 

–J. Jones

UFC on Fox: New Flyweight Division Delivers Once Again

It’s time to step into the Octagon once again as we take a look at the UFC’s latest show on America’s Fox network, which was in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast began in the featherwei…

It’s time to step into the Octagon once again as we take a look at the UFC’s latest show on America’s Fox network, which was in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the featherweight division as Erik Koch went up against Ricardo Lamas.

This one began with both testing the waters with a few kicks. A few moments later, Lamas went for a takedown, and although he was successful, Koch managed to get back up on one leg before they jockeyed for position against the cage.

Round 2 saw them engage in some crisp striking exchanges. But when Lamas slipped, Koch failed to capitalize and soon found himself on his back.

It was then that Lamas went to work, and after an elbow opened up Koch below his eye, Lamas upped his striking rate until the referee stepped in to give Lamas the TKO win.

It was up to lightweight for the next fight as Anthony Pettis took on Donald Cerrone.

Pettis began his shift in the cage with a big right to the jaw, but when he went for a cartwheel kick a few moments later, Cerrone countered with a knee to the body.

The action then settled down for a few seconds before Pettis began to take control with his striking. A kick to the body clearly troubled Cerrone. The Cowboy tried to make out like it was no big deal, but when Pettis connected with a second kick, Cerrone crumpled to the mat. Pettis went in for the kill with the referee stepping in to give him the TKO win.

Light heavyweight action followed as Rampage Jackson faced Glover Teixeira.

This proved to be a very intriguing three-round affair. Right from the start, Teixeira put on a great display of striking, a display that had Rampage in no end of trouble at times.

It was Teixeira’s left hand in particular that gave Rampage no end of trouble, and although he controlled the majority of the exchanges, Rampage got in a few good shots as well. Hell also froze over when the former champion added a few kicks into the mix.

This fight wasn’t just about the striking, though. Teixeira had a great deal of success on the ground with a number of takedowns throughout the fight, although Rampage managed to get back to his feet quite a few times as well.

But as the fight went on, Rampage began to look exhausted, while Teixeira looked as fresh as a daisy throughout, and when the fight ended it seemed pretty obvious who was going to get the decision.

The judges saw it that way as well, as Teixeira took the unanimous decision.

The main event saw John Dodson challenging Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title.

I really enjoyed this one. For five rounds, these two put on a fight that would have been worthy of a pay-per-view main event, let alone free-to-air television.

Dodson put in some great work early on. His striking looked crisp, as he gave Johnson quite a bit of trouble, especially in the first two rounds, when he knocked the champion to the ground.

Johnson managed to weather that particular storm and came back time and time again, scoring with some nice takedowns along the way.

The champion was guilty of a couple of rules infractions later on, connecting with an inadvertent knee to the groin in the third and a knee to the head in the fourth while Dodson had a hand on the mat. The challenger was given a couple of rest periods, although ultimately it didn’t do him much good.

This was mainly because Johnson began to dominate the action from the fourth round onward, connecting with a series of knees to the head from various clinches. Dodson just didn’t seem to have any form of defence against these, and these blows, added to his growing fatigue, meant that he was becoming a shell of the fighter who rocked the champion earlier on.

With the fight going the distance, the judges were called upon again as they gave Johnson their unanimous title-retaining decision.

In conclusion—if I had stayed up until the early hours to watch this, I would probably have said that this was well worth staying up for.

The four fights shown here certainly delivered. The two TKO wins were worth the price of admission alone, while Glover Teixeira’s points win over Rampage Jackson kind of seemed like another passing of the baton, the changing of the guard if you will, as the new generation of light heavyweight fighters continues to make its mark.

As for the main event, the UFC’s newest division did it again. Although we didn’t see that marquee finish, Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson delivered the goods, and Johnson’s performance once again showed why the flyweights are now a valuable part of the UFC. This is the reason that these guys are going to get my vote for Fight of the Night.

With all of that out of the way, it’s time to wrap this thing up by giving UFC on Fox the thumbs up.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for nearly 13 years now!

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