Tag: Flyweight

UFC 211: Will Henry Cejudo Shutdown The Young And Hungry Sergio Pettis

The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).

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The main card of UFC 211 features two top level flyweights, each of whom could be considered for a title challenge with a few more good wins. While Henry Cejudo may have already had his crack at glory, Sergio Pettis is looking to throw his card into the Demetrious Johnson sweepstakes (a prize that I’m not sure anyone truly wants to win at this point). This fight has a lot riding on it for both fighters and it’s good to see it opening up the main card for one of the more stacked events of the year (good job UFC, keep this up and people may end up caring about flyweight).

Henry Cejudo has the tools to give anyone at 125 lbs tons of issues. His mix of gritty, powerful and technical wrestling has matched well with his kickboxing style. Cejudo showed in his bout with Joseph Benavidez that he has the ability to go three hard rounds against a tactical and fast paced opponent. His kicking game was also very impressive. The biggest flaw in that fight however was how much power he threw into every shot. If he learns to fight at a more measured pace, picking his shots, flashing the jab to control distance, and level changes when Pettis over commits, we could see Cejudo put on a dominant performance.

The plan of attack for Cejudo should be fairly straight forward. Takedowns will play a major role, as will controlling the clinch and landing heavy punches on the break. Cejudo is likely to have a strength advantage here and he needs to let Pettis understand that as soon as the first bell rings. Cejudo fell in love with his power a bit in his bout with Joseph Benavidez and he’ll want to avoid that here. Basic boxing combinations like the double jab cross will be effective in this fight. He’ll need to stay in Pettis’ face and stay busy the whole time in order prevent the younger man from trying to control the distance. Pettis wants distance which means Cejudo needs to make him feel claustrophobic and fight in a phone booth. Ending combinations with either a left hook or right round kick will do Cejudo a ton of good.

Sergio Pettis may not have the flash and flare of his older brother, but he does indeed have a more complete game. The younger Pettis looks to mix up his attack with sharp striking coupled with some nicely timed level changes. Rather than just focus purely on knocking opponents out, Pettis likes to employ a game that keeps his opposition guessing. He’s as likely to fire off a blistering head kick as he is to shoot for a takedown.

The goal for Pettis here is to frustrate Cejudo and get his distance with kicks immediately before the Olympic wrestler can get comfortable. While kicking against a wrestler can be ill advised, if you get the distance just right it can keep the shorter Cejudo on the outside. The benefit of Sergio Pettis being from a traditional martial arts background means that he has the ability to throw strikes from both stances. It will allow him to confuse Cejudo and, once his opponent is bewildered, land a devastating rear round kick or cross from the southpaw stance.

Most important for Pettis is to ensure his feet keep moving. The younger Pettis has a tendency to stand still at times which can get him into all kinds of trouble with a power puncher and wrestler of Cejudo’s caliber.

Which flyweight will take one step closer to punching their ticket for the Demetrious Johnson horror show?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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With Kyoji Horiguchi In Rizin, Demetrious Johnson Is Missing The Challenge He Craves

The naysayers that read that title will likely have already dismissed that statement. “Kyoji Horiguchi? Didn’t Demetrious Johnson beat that dude already?” The answer is a resounding yes. That said, ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson has gone on record stating that the karate master was the toughest foe he’s faced. It’s been years since that match and since then we’ve seen improvements in both flyweights. That’s what makes it so frustrating that Kyoji Horiguchi has left the UFC to return to Japan and compete in Rizin Fighting Championships. His departure also means that Demetrious Johnson is missing the opportunity to be challenged by one of his biggest threats.

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The naysayers that read that title will likely have already dismissed that statement. “Kyoji Horiguchi? Didn’t Demetrious Johnson beat that dude already?” The answer is a resounding yes. That said, ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson has gone on record stating that the karate master was the toughest foe he’s faced. It’s been years since that match and since then we’ve seen improvements in both flyweights. That’s what makes it so frustrating that Kyoji Horiguchi has left the UFC to return to Japan and compete in Rizin Fighting Championships. His departure also means that Demetrious Johnson is missing the opportunity to be challenged by one of his biggest threats.

While Johnson is certainly happy taking out the other members of the flyweight division, attempting to make history in the process, one has to wonder what else is he doing this for. He doesn’t want to just fight opponents he knows he can beat. Despite the fact that he is a great fighter in his own right, Wilson Reis didn’t have the speed and technical ability to truly challenge Johnson at UFC on Fox 24. The result was a one sided beat down in the manner that makes you wonder, who the hell can even challenge Johnson?

There’s Joseph Benavidez who lost on two separate occasions to the flyweight champion. There’s Henry Cejudo who is as tough as they come and is making improvements. But who else really has that stuff that separates them from the pack?

Kyoji Horiguchi, that’s who.

While Johnson was tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses, Kyoji Horiguchi was on the other side of the world picking up his fourth straight win with a demolition of Yuki Motoya at Rizin 5. His speed, blitzing ability, boxing techniques, and improved wrestling due to his stint at American Top Team were all on display. Watching Horiguchi do work against Yuki Motoya only made me yearn to see him once again lock horns with Johnson.

As far as champions go, Johnson is the one given the least recognition even after accomplishing so much. He’s dominated nearly all of his opponents en route to his impressive ten consecutive title defenses, yet because he appears to be doing all of it in his sleep, people think he’s not being challenged enough. That may be unfair, but people want a storyline to latch onto, an opponent that can rival the skills of the champion. They want another individual who smashes the competition with ease and looks like a world beater in their own right. The flyweight division is lacking in star power outside a few individuals and if they don’t make a concerted effort to build it up it’s likely to remain the dark horse division of the UFC. The fact that the upper brass didn’t do everything in their power to ensure that Horiguchi remained on the roster shows a bit of naiivity on their part. If they want the division to flourish they need multiple stars, multiple fighters that make viewers from not just the west, but around the entire world to want to tune in.

If the UFC brass are smart they’ve kept track of Kyoji Horiguchi and if the young karate fighter is able to dominate in Rizin, there should be no reason that he isn’t brought back to the biggest promotion in the world. Demetrious Johnson wants a challenge, wants to prove he’s the absolute best to have ever done it. Perhaps he already has proved just that. But it wouldn’t hurt to see him in there again with a man that could also sport those same credentials. As I always invoke, only time will tell if we’ll ever get the chance to see Johnson and Horiguchi lock horns again.

Do you want to see Demetrious Johnson versus Kyoji Horiguchi 2?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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UFC on Fox 24: Wilson Reis Is In For The Fight Of HIs Life Against Demetrious Johnson


The main event of UFC on Fox 24 pits Wilson Reis against the “God of Fighting” Demetrious Johnson. It’s a match up that Reis fought hard to earn, but that makes it no less easier by any stretch of the imagination. Demetrious Johnson is tough. Not just the “he takes a good shot” kind of tough, but made of different stuff as far as competition goes. Johnson hopes to crush his opponents by taking their strengths and making them null and void. So while Wilson Reis has certainly earned his spot opposite the champion, he has an uphill battle ahead of him.

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The main event of UFC on Fox 24 pits Wilson Reis against the “God of Fighting” Demetrious Johnson. It’s a match up that Reis fought hard to earn, but that makes it no less easier by any stretch of the imagination. Demetrious Johnson is tough. Not just the “he takes a good shot” kind of tough, but made of different stuff as far as competition goes. Johnson hopes to crush his opponents by taking their strengths and making them null and void. So while Wilson Reis has certainly earned his spot opposite the champion, he has an uphill battle ahead of him.

As far as performances go, Wilson Reis hasn’t looked like the ultimate world beater. He has good fundamentals as far as his striking goes, but where he really shines is the wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu department. Reis is a ground fighter through and through who uses a variety of different takedowns to get the job done. That said, if he hopes to pick up a victory here then he can’t rely solely on his grappling. In fact, as dangerous as it may sound, Reis should perhaps take a strike first, wrestle second approach to this fight.

Johnson is expecting the takedown in this fight, so using an alternative game plan will be key. But it’s not simply the execution of the strategy that should be considered. Reis’ mindset should be focused on fighting anywhere the fight takes him. If he relies too much on his wrestling and grappling, Johnson will chew him up. Playing the outside game with long range weapons is an ideal strategy to force Johnson to push forward. It’s during these moments that Reis can take advantage and score a reactive takedown. Firing off jabs and front kicks will keep Johnson at bay and when the champ does choose to rattle off combinations, that’s when Reis should look to level change. The gas tank of Reis will be tested in this one, so he’ll have to be smart with his energy systems.

The champion has a far more interesting case on his hands. For Demetrious Johnson, having a multitude of skills to choose from makes his strategy as complex as it is simple. Johnson has so many tools to choose from it’s a matter of being patient and seeing what threat Reis presents. Johnson can choose to be aggressive counter puncher if Reis is passive, hit reactive takedowns if his opponent is overly aggressive. He can box if Reis is looking to shoot in, kickbox if the challenger chooses to box.

For Johnson the sky’s the limit. Preferably the aggressive counter striking approach will likely work best. Touching Reis with jabs, forcing the challenger to shoot in, stuffing the takedown and countering immediately with power punches. As most other ‘Mighty Mouse’ fights, this is Johnson’s match to lose.

It’s a up hill battle for Wilson Reis. Can he get the job done against 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.

 

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Eric Shelton Could Be The Next Big Thing At Flyweight

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.

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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.

 

 

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“Y’all Musta Forgot” Check Out Demetrious Johnson’s Best Finishes Right Here

“P4P”

A couple of weeks ago we put out the pound for pound rankings for the end of 2016. Though flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was at the top, it was surprising how many names were thrown into the hat. We saw request for Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and of course the one and only Conor McGregor. While a valid argument can be made for all three, with Conor leading the pack due to his masterful performance at UFC 205, we thought we’d give you guys a little reminder of why Demetrious Johnson is at the top – better yet, why he deserves it.

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“P4P”

A couple of weeks ago we put out the pound for pound rankings for the end of 2016. Though flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was at the top, it was surprising how many names were thrown into the hat. We saw request for Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and of course the one and only Conor McGregor. While a valid argument can be made for all three, with Conor leading the pack due to his masterful performance at UFC 205, we thought we’d give you guys a little reminder of why Demetrious Johnson is at the top – better yet, why he deserves it.

Besides being the only fighter to ever win via Kimura choke in  a title fight against Chris Cariaso at UFC 187, here’s are a short list of his in cage accomplishments.

He’s never been knocked out or submitted in MMA competition.

His average fight time of 17:23 in UFC flyweight competition is the longest in divisional history.

His 1,164 total strikes landed in UFC flyweight competition are the most in divisional history.

He lands 55.9 percent of his significant strike attempts in UFC flyweight competition, the highest rate in divisional history.

His 43 takedowns landed in UFC flyweight competition are most in divisional history.

His 59 takedowns landed overall in UFC competition are tied for fifth most in company history behind St-Pierre (87), Gleison Tibau (84), Frankie Edgar (66) and Clay Guida (61).

He is the only fighter in UFC history to record 10 or more takedowns in three separate bouts.

His submission of Kyoji Horiguchi at the 4:59 mark of Round 5 at UFC 186 stands as the latest stoppage in a UFC fight.

He is one of two fighters in UFC history to earn two fifth-round stoppage victories. T.J. Dillashaw also accomplished the feat.

 

But lets face it, statistics can only go but so far. You can read all the stats you want but how does the champion look in the ring? Even with a magnifying glass you’d be hard pressed to find any mistakes on this flyweight, with flawless footwork and the rare ability to look better in each and every fight, at his division he’s damn near unstoppable.

Now we know Johnson has an upcoming bout with TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott this saturday. So we thought we’d give Elliot a little pep talk for what he had in store on Saturday night.

Fighting Demetrious Johnson is literally like fighting a spider monkey. He’s so fast and accurate, and his TRANSITIONS are second to none. You think he’s going to take you down, nope, he changes levels again and hits you with a left cross, right straight, and two leg kicks for your troubles. If you do stop the takedown then you’re in the clinch with a Tazmanian devil that will knee you to death against the cage and then add a head kick for good measure.  At 5’3 he somehow manages to throw head kicks like jabs. Oh so now you’ve got a gameplan, you’re going to take him down are ya? His explosiveness makes it damn near impossible to keep him down, and even if you do, he’s just as dangerous from the bottom as anyone else in the UFC.  Whatever you do, don’t let him get on top because it’s armbar city. His transitions are lightening fast and, you won’t even know it’s coming.

…Oh and did we mention he’s tough as nails, doesn’t get tired, relentless, and has no concept of the word quit? When Bruce Lee said “be like water” , he meant be like Demetrious Johnson.

Let us know what you think of Demetrious Johnson in his upcoming bout with TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott? Does Elliot have a chance or nah?

 

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Whoever Wins The Ultimate Fighter Loses To Demetrious Johnson Saturday Night

Yes, that’s an extremely flippant and dismissive ideology, but hear me out. The Ultimate Fighter tournament of champions has been one of the most entertaining seasons in the show’s history from a pure talent perspective. The flyweights featured this season showed exactly why they were champions in their respective organizations and why they belong in the UFC. Each of them is professional, scrappy, and are dead set on becoming the man to challenge flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Here’s the catch. None of them ever stood a chance.

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Yes, that’s an extremely flippant and dismissive ideology, but hear me out. The Ultimate Fighter tournament of champions has been one of the most entertaining seasons in the show’s history from a pure talent perspective. The flyweights featured this season showed exactly why they were champions in their respective organizations and why they belong in the UFC. Each of them is professional, scrappy, and are dead set on becoming the man to challenge flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Here’s the catch. None of them ever stood a chance.

Tonight is the final fight in the tournament that features the unpredictable Tim Elliott and the fairly predictable Hiromasa Ogikubo. Both men are tough and talented, each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses. Hiromasa has a great ground game, tenacity with his takedowns, and some serviceable striking on the feet. He’ll most likely be looking for the takedown on Elliott once again, but will have to be cautious in doing so. Elliott is a complete wild card and is just as likely to keep the fight standing as he is to take things to the floor. From a game planning perspective, Elliott will want to keep things standing, but the likelihood of that outcome is cloudy at best.

But whoever is shown to be the tournament champion tonight will have the unfortunate task of fighting for the flyweight belt. I say unfortunate because the man the winner must face for the strap has very few weaknesses. Elliott and Hiromasa both have clear weaknesses for the champion to exploit which makes defeating Johnson a tall task for either man. While this season’s format was certainly entertaining, by the end of it all it seemed that there was truly only one man who would have been capable of contending with Demetrious Johnson and that was Eric Shelton. Unfortunately for Shelton he was eliminated in a closely contested match with Elliott who himself thought had lost.

Elliott is perhaps the best bet to give Johnson a challenge because of his unique style, but he gets too wild and could likely end up on his back because of it. Hiromasa on the other hand doesn’t have the speed or style to deal with a fighter of Johnson’s caliber. While his ground game is tight and his striking decent, Johnson is blindly fast and adept at adapting on the fly, exploiting his opponent’s weakness and turning it into a strength.

In any event, the tournament experiment to produce a challenger for Demetrious Johnson proved to be thoroughly entertaining. The professionalism of the fighters, their backgrounds, and passion for competition made this a very watchable season of television. It’s just unfortunate that most of these combatants never stood a chance of giving Johnson a worthy challenge. What is fortunate is that viewers will be sure to tune in for the next season of the long running reality series. If the fights are exciting as the ones featured this season, how could you not be enticed to see more.

Do you think tonight’s TUF winner 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.

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