On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the Team Alpha Male staple thought it best to take another route […]
On the heels of his victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156, Joseph Benavidez could have easily made the case to get a rematch with flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson. But rather than step back into the Octagon with “Mighty Mouse” in quick fashion, the Team Alpha Male staple thought it best to take another route […]
(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.
Dana White is fed up with people bad-mouthing the flyweights. The UFC President was noticeably upset at the post-fight press conference for UFC 152, after sifting through tons of negative tweets regarding the flyweight title fight between Demetrious Jo…
Dana White is fed up with people bad-mouthing the flyweights. The UFC President was noticeably upset at the post-fight press conference for UFC 152, after sifting through tons of negative tweets regarding the flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. In one of the most competitive and entertaining title bouts of the year, […]
It’s no secret that Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson will make history on Saturday night. After all, the co-main event fight between the two will determine the first-ever flyweight champion in the UFC. That’s a weighty thing, e…
It’s no secret that Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson will make history on Saturday night. After all, the co-main event fight between the two will determine the first-ever flyweight champion in the UFC. That’s a weighty thing, even if the pair occupy the lowest possible end of the current UFC spectrum. Benavidez talked to Bleacher […]
(Seems like a lot of prison tattoos for just 16 days. Impressive.)
UFC flyweight contender Ian McCall was released from jail Thursday, after a 16-day stay resulting from an August 14th arrest for driving on a suspended license and not completing the terms of a previous arrest in 2008. MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta filed his report yesterday and McCall also tweeted in celebration after his release.
“Free at last free at last … time to get back to work,” the Creepy one tweeted Thursday. According to Chiappetta, McCall now faces a year of probation and a $300 fine.
It’s somewhat upsetting to think that McCall served actual jail time for non-violent offenses and citations, while other celebrities get off with none after bludgeoning women. That’s neither here nor there, we suppose, but in any case McCall can get back to his family and MMA career now that he’s been reformed.
In his last fight, McCall lost a decision to Demetrious Johnson June 8th and with it the right to fight for the inaugural UFC flyweight championship.
(Seems like a lot of prison tattoos for just 16 days. Impressive.)
UFC flyweight contender Ian McCall was released from jail Thursday, after a 16-day stay resulting from an August 14th arrest for driving on a suspended license and not completing the terms of a previous arrest in 2008. MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta filed his report yesterday and McCall also tweeted in celebration after his release.
“Free at last free at last … time to get back to work,” the Creepy one tweeted Thursday. According to Chiappetta, McCall now faces a year of probation and a $300 fine.
It’s somewhat upsetting to think that McCall served actual jail time for non-violent offenses and citations, while other celebrities get off with none after bludgeoning women. That’s neither here nor there, we suppose, but in any case McCall can get back to his family and MMA career now that he’s been reformed.
In his last fight, McCall lost a decision to Demetrious Johnson June 8th and with it the right to fight for the inaugural UFC flyweight championship.
Across combat sports, a lot of people don’t care for the little guys. They just can’t get any love from fans, no matter how exciting they are, how much talent they display, or how many times they steal the show. In some cases, it could even…
Across combat sports, a lot of people don’t care for the little guys. They just can’t get any love from fans, no matter how exciting they are, how much talent they display, or how many times they steal the show. In some cases, it could even be justified. Look at the UFC’s lighter weight classes […]
