During tonight’s (Sat. March 4, 2017) UFC 209 FS1 prelims it was announced by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson that he will be attempting to make history against No. 4-ranked Wilson Reis in the main event of UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City, Missouri on April 15th. Johnson, who won the inaugural UFC 125-pound
During tonight’s (Sat. March 4, 2017) UFC 209 FS1 prelims it was announced by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson that he will be attempting to make history against No. 4-ranked Wilson Reis in the main event of UFC on FOX 24 from Kansas City, Missouri on April 15th.
Johnson, who won the inaugural UFC 125-pound title back in 2012, has successfully defended his strap nine times in the midst of an 11 fight win streak. ‘Mighty Mouse’ hasn’t lost a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout since his unanimous decision loss to now-former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in 2011.
He will attempt to make history by tying former middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s 10 consecutive title defense record against Reis, who he has already been scheduled to fight before. The pair were initially set to meet at UFC 201 back in July, however, Johnson was forced out of the contest due to an injury.
Reis has been on an impressive three-fight win streak as of late and is extremely confident in his ability to be the one to hand Johnson his first loss at 125 pounds. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt is 22-6 in his MMA career with wins over the likes of Ulka Sasaki, Dustin Ortiz, and Scott Jorgensen.
UFC on FOX 24 takes place live from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri on April 15, 2017. It was also announced that the card will be co-headlined by a massive middleweight contest between No. 3-ranked Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza and No. 6-ranked Robert Whittaker.
Dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has come dangerously close to cleaning out the 125-pound division, as he’s unbeaten at the weight, having defended his title an impressive nine consecutive times. Due to his vast success at flyweight, Johnson has been linked to multiple super fights, as some have suggested he move back
Dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has come dangerously close to cleaning out the 125-pound division, as he’s unbeaten at the weight, having defended his title an impressive nine consecutive times.
Due to his vast success at flyweight, Johnson has been linked to multiple super fights, as some have suggested he move back up to 135-pounds to further test himself.
Recently speaking on the matter, “Mighty Mouse” said that he’d fight bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt if the money was right, although his focus currently lies on breaking Anderson Silva’s title defense record, which he is one defense shy of:
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY
All About The Money
“Yeah definitely, if the money’s right,” Johnson told NESN when asked about a potential bout with ‘No Love’. “It’s always about the money aspect of it, you know. I need to have an incentive to go up and do it, you know. When you look at the best athletes around the world – a good example is Usain Bolt – he runs the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash every single year at the Olympics, and he breaks his own record, but no one ever tells him, ‘Why don’t you run a 400? Why don’t you run a mile? I mean, you’re fast.’ Because he’s always focused on his craft, which is trying to beat his record, and that’s why I’m trying to do. I’m trying to beat my record. I’m trying to always improve myself, better myself and trying to beat Anderson Silva’s record.”
Johnson doesn’t currently have his next fight scheduled, although it will likely be another defense of his flyweight title.
Would you like to see “Mighty Mouse” eventually move up for a blockbuster fight?
The sounds of fans calling for a bantamweight “super fight” are all too familiar to Demetrious Johnson. The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight title holder has had nine straight successful title defenses. He is just one away from tying Anderson Silva’s record. “Mighty Mouse” is heavily focused on tying and beating the record. Many […]
The sounds of fans calling for a bantamweight “super fight” are all too familiar to Demetrious Johnson. The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight title holder has had nine straight successful title defenses. He is just one away from tying Anderson Silva’s record. “Mighty Mouse” is heavily focused on tying and beating the record. Many […]
Joseph Benavidez finds himself in a tight spot. The No. 1 ranked flyweight has held his position at 125 pounds for a while. The problem is, he’s already lost to champion Demetrious Johnson twice. The first loss was by split decision, though many would argue the fight wasn’t as close as the result indicated. In […]
Joseph Benavidez finds himself in a tight spot. The No. 1 ranked flyweight has held his position at 125 pounds for a while. The problem is, he’s already lost to champion Demetrious Johnson twice. The first loss was by split decision, though many would argue the fight wasn’t as close as the result indicated. In […]
Heading into the twenty-fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, I wasn’t all that excited about the premise. A sixteen man tournament to determine who would challenge the nigh unbeatable human tornado also referred to as Demetrious Johnson? Suffice it to say, I wasn’t particularly convinced the season would be worthwhile. Johnson as flyweight champion has looked nearly perfect in almost all of his outings. The thought process was that none of these flyweights had what it takes to actually challenge Johnson and ultimate it’s a notion that proved to be true.
Heading into the twenty-fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, I wasn’t all that excited about the premise. A sixteen man tournament to determine who would challenge the nigh unbeatable human tornado also referred to as Demetrious Johnson? Suffice it to say, I wasn’t particularly convinced the season would be worthwhile. Johnson as flyweight champion has looked nearly perfect in almost all of his outings. The thought process was that none of these flyweights had what it takes to actually challenge Johnson and ultimate it’s a notion that proved to be true.
But then these sixteen men had to prove me dead wrong.
Every match during the season was filled with some sort of drama, each one of them exciting in their own way. By the end, although not every fighter seemed to have the skill set to beat Johnson, the fans of the long running show were likely thoroughly entertained. Tim Elliott was the man that everyone was talking about by the TUF Finale, which was bound to happen seeing as he was the man who fought Johnson for the flyweight strap. That said, the show also offered us a glimpse at the future of the division.
Though Tim Elliott received the title shot there were a large contingent of people who believed that Eric Shelton deserved to be the man who fought Hiromasa Ogikubo in the final round of the tournament. Hell, even Elliott himself said that Shelton probably deserved the nod when the two fought to a close decision in the semifinals. In that match we saw a glimpse of what Shelton brings to the table. It was enough to lead me to believe that the young flyweight could be a major threat to Demetrious Johnson.
Intelligence Far Beyond His Years
The three fights had during the tournament showcased Eric Shelton’s ability to do a number of things. His striking is controlled and calculated though he could use a few more tools in his kit. Nevertheless, he understands the basics and when and how to use them. Shelton understands distance very well, fighting on the outside when he’s facing wrestlers and grapplers, while keeping a balanced approached when facing opponents with a more complete game. He also knows when to play counter fighter and when to be the aggressor. It’s the kind of savvy you’d expect from a well seasoned fighter.
He’s Stubborn As Hell
What we also saw during the show is just how stubborn Shelton can be. That doesn’t mean he won’t pass the ketchup when sitting down for dinner, but what he certainly won’t do is concede a position without giving up a hell of a fight. The Tim Elliott fight in the semifinals of the tournament demonstrated Shelton’s ability to create scrambles and never lay down flat once he’s on his back. He’s always looking to get to his feet or improve his defensive position or get a dominant position. Shelton is stubborn once he’s put in a disadvantageous position. He’s constantly moving his hips and looking to get himself back into the fight. That kind of stubborness will serve him well as he climbs the latter of the flyweight division.
One To Watch
With Eric Shelton’s next bout against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC on Fox 23, we’ll have the opportunity to see what the young flyweight has been working on. I for one will be looking forward to his bout as it could mark the beginnings of a truly interesting journey for a man who could one day challenge one of the sport’s pound for pound greats.
Do you think Eric Shelton can defeat Demetrious Johnson?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is highly unpredictable and championship level MMA shares this sentiment. Simply put, anything can happen in a fight and we learned that throughout 2016, especially in the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion. Specifically regarding title fights, we saw 10 new champions crowned in the UFC last year and
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is highly unpredictable and championship level MMA shares this sentiment. Simply put, anything can happen in a fight and we learned that throughout 2016, especially in the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.
Specifically regarding title fights, we saw 10 new champions crowned in the UFC last year and that’s not including the crowning of two interim titleholders. We have seen titles tossed around like hot potatoes and fighters that we never expected to reach the pinnacle with belts around their waists.
It’s certainly an interesting time in the sport of mixed martial arts and 2017 could potentially bring more of the same as the sport continues to evolve and the competition continues to elevate.
With that being said, take a look at who we predicted to be wearing each UFC title by the end of the year below:
Women’s Strawweight: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Reigning UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has formed a tight grip on the 115-pound division and in the process she has become one of the promotion’s most dominant champions. The Polish striker has defended her title four consecutive times over the likes of Jessica Penne, Valerie Letourneau, Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz, which is second most only behind longtime flyweight king Demetrious Johnson.
While Jedrzejczyk did face some adversity in her most recent fight against Kowalkiewicz at Nov. 12, 2016’s UFC 205, she has been relatively dominant throughout her title reign and she has appeared to improve each and every time out. She doesn’t have her next fight scheduled as of now, but I expect her to continue to improve on her dangerous skill set and end off 2017 with the strap still around her waist.
