Already the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson took one step closer to becoming the best fighter of all-time when he tied Anderson Silva’s record of UFC title defenses with 10 by submitting Wilson Reis in the third round of their main event bout at tonight’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on
Already the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA, longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson took one step closer to becoming the best fighter of all-time when he tied Anderson Silva’s record of UFC title defenses with 10 by submitting Wilson Reis in the third round of their main event bout at tonight’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Johnson simply looked without peer in all facets of fighting, displaying precise, lightning-quick volume striking to hit Reis at will to soften him up for a takedown followed by a seamless segway into a fight-ending armbar. It’s not just the fact “Mighty Mouse” defeats his opponents; it’s that they just don’t have any chance at beating him anywhere the fight goes. His growing list of illustrious accomplishments has him up with all-time greats Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Jon Jones, and indeed some already feel he’s surpassed those fighting legends.
That has ‘Mighty Mouse’ on the verge of breaking Silva’s all-time record, where he’ll almost definitely become the best MMA fighter in the sport’s history. Is he already there?
The UFC rolls on with this evening’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and the card presents arguably one of the best ever put together for free television. In the main event, dominant longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will seek a record-tying tenth
The UFC rolls on with this evening’s (Sat., April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and the card presents arguably one of the best ever put together for free television.
In the main event, dominant longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will seek a record-tying tenth title defense when he meets Wilson Reis in the main event, an accolade that would put him directly on par with all-time great middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
In the co-headliner, touted No. 4 and No. 6 women’s strawweights Rose Namajunas and Michelle Waterson will battle for what may be the next title bout versus the winner of May’s Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Andrade.
Overall, the event presents a stacked card from the main card to the Fight Pass prelims, and should provide fans a hard-hitting night of MMA in the UFC’s first-ever show from K.C.
Find out who we picked to win in the main bouts below:
Photo: Tracy Lee for USA TODAY Sports
Demetrious Johnson vs. Wilson Reis:
This potential record-tying fight for ‘Mighty Mouse’ is a big win, as he’ll cement the foregone conclusion of him joining some of MMA’s all-time greats. Few, if any, are giving Reis a chance to snag the gold from the longtime 125-pound ruler, yet while I think that’s a bit foolish considering his hard-nosed style and submission prowess, it’s also somewhat of a risky fool’s errand to pick against the massive favorite Johnson at this point. I feel “Mighty Mouse” is simply too fast, precise, and technical on the feet, and he should be able to use that to outclass Reis on the scorecards. “Mighty Mouse” by unanimous decision.
MMAFighting.com
Rose Namajunas vs. Michelle Waterson:
This pivotal strawweight co-main event is an intriguing one, as Namajunas has a few questions to answer about her overall mental stat following a disappointing loss to Karolina Kowalkieicz in her last bout over weight months ago. She’s only 24, but has fallen just short in the most impactful bouts of her young career thus far, making this fight with Waterson arguably the most important of her UFC stint so far. On the other hand, Waterson looked calm, cool, and dominant in her first-round win over Paige VanZant, and has all the weight of the UFC promotional machine behind her right now (just like Namajunas did on TUF). In terms of the in-octagon action, I think Namajunas will simply be too big for “The Karate Hottie,” using her superior range and volume striking to avoid takedown and win the fight on the scorecards. Namajunas by unanimous decision.
Photo: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Jacare Souza vs. Robert Whittaker:
Long the perceived title contender at 185 pounds, Jacare Souza has done nothing but dominate all but one UFC foe on his way to becoming perhaps the most feared grappler in all of mixed martial arts. He’ll face off against a tough rising possible contender in Whittaker, who has looked nothing but spectacular after giving up a drastic weight cut to 170. He’s never faced anyone with anything close to Jacare’s seamless, brutal ground skill, however, and if he fails to keep this bout standing he’ll obviously be in for a long (or short, depending on the way you look at it) night. Souza ended the speculation that he may head to Bellator by recently signing a new eight-fight contract with the UFC, and he looks poised to finally cement a title shot, if that’s even possible in the mess middleweight has become. All he can do is keep winning, and I believe he’ll do that this evening. Souza by submission in R2.
Rafael Suanes-US PRESSWIRE
Jeremy Stephens vs. Renato Moicano:
A potential featherweight firefight will kick off the UFC on FOX 24 main card when knockout puncher Stephens meets rising undefeated prospect Brazilian Moicano. This is a huge bout for both fighters, as Stephens needs to deliver in a spot where he’s favored on a grand stage, while Moicano has little to lose and could storm into the Top 15 or even Top 10 with a win over No.5-ranked “Lil’ Heathen.” It’s a close call – one that is a lot closer than the odds suggest, and I think Moicano has it in him to pull off the upset. I’m not sure he will unless he can get this one to the canvas, however. Stephens should be motivated after nearly knocking out Frankie Edgar in his last fight, so I’m giving him a slight edge. Stephens by R3 TKO.
Tyron Woodley has not held back when discussing topics which most other fighters would deem taboo or likely to be found contentious. The UFC welterweight champion of the world has gone on record on a number of occasions in the past holding his employers accountable for what he believes is poor treatment due to his […]
Tyron Woodley has not held back when discussing topics which most other fighters would deem taboo or likely to be found contentious. The UFC welterweight champion of the world has gone on record on a number of occasions in the past holding his employers accountable for what he believes is poor treatment due to his […]
Ray Borg talks spoke with the media following his decision win over Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 106. Among topics touched on was a potential fight with flyweight division king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Borg snatched two of the three rounds on each judge’s scorecard on his way to a successful victory, but one […]
Ray Borg talks spoke with the media following his decision win over Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night 106. Among topics touched on was a potential fight with flyweight division king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Borg snatched two of the three rounds on each judge’s scorecard on his way to a successful victory, but one […]
Coming off of his ninth consecutive successful title defense last night (Saturday December 3, 2016) over Tim Elliott in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale (TUF 24 Finale), UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson is already making plans for his next possible record-setting title bout. Johnson is just one title defense
Coming off of his ninth consecutive successful title defense last night (Saturday December 3, 2016) over Tim Elliott in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale (TUF 24 Finale), UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson is already making plans for his next possible record-setting title bout.
Johnson is just one title defense shy of former middleweight champion Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva’s ten consecutive title defense record, and is eying a fight in Vegas to attempt to tie the former Brazilian champ’s landmark achievement. Speaking at the TUF 24 Finale post-fight press conference, courtesy of MMA Junkie, ‘DJ’ shows no desire to fight on the East Coast in his next Octagon bout due to the straining time difference:
“Vegas – always Vegas,” Johnson said. “Same time zone (as the West Coast), and stuff’s open. I’m about to get some food, and it’s 11:30 at night.
“I have no desire to fight on the East Coast. I don’t want to fight at 1 o’clock in the morning. I always love fighting in Vegas, and I’ll choose Vegas around any place in the world.”
During his title defense against Elliott, Johnson showed early signs of struggle in the first round but would rebound to soundly take the next four with ease. Elliott’s awkward style of fighting got the The Pearl crowd very amped up, but Johnson was able to maintain his composure and focus at the task at hand:
“I was like, ‘Here’s this bull(expletive),’” Johnson said. “It’s nothing against him, but in my mind, you can’t get caught up in that atmosphere where people are like ‘Yeah, Tim, you’re (expletive) slapping him in the back of the head.’ You’re not doing anything. You’re not crossing distance. You’re turning sideways.
“He’s trying to get me caught up, and at one point, I got away from what I do well, which is to keep my rhythm. But my coach was like, ‘It’s fine. He’s doing that stuff because he can’t cross the distance. He has to do that stuff to get you there.’”
Mandatory Credit: Tracy Lee-USA TODAY Sports
At one point in the fight Johnson found himself in side control while neither him or Elliott were able to advance position, however, referee Herb Dean warned Johnson to improve his position or he’d stand them up, something that didn’t sit too well with the 125-pound champion:
“I was like, ‘Herb, I’m in (expletive) side control, bro,’” Johnson said. “This is not checkers – this is chess. Tim needs to get up. I’m on top, and he’s holding me down, and you’re telling me I need to move? I’m like, no, bro, that’s not how it works.”
‘Mighty Mouse’ has not expressed any interest in moving up to the bantamweight division once again after possibly breaking Silva’s title defense record, and instead figures to continue his dominance in the UFC’s flyweight division.
You can check out he full post-fight press conference here:
Creeping ever so close to Anderson Silva’s revered UFC title defense record of 10, dominant flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson picked up his ninth straight when he outclassed game TUF 24 champion Tim Elliott in the main event of Saturday night’s (December 3, 2016) The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 24 from the Palms Resort Casino in
Creeping ever so close to Anderson Silva’s revered UFC title defense record of 10, dominant flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson picked up his ninth straight when he outclassed game TUF 24 champion Tim Elliott in the main event of Saturday night’s (December 3, 2016) The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 24 from the Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Interestingly enough, the impromptu fight, which came to fruition only because “Mighty Mouse” had cleaned out most of the Top 10 of his division, opening the gate for a season of TUF where the cast were all flyweight champions from different promotions, nearly ended up being one of the biggest upsets in MMA history when Elliott locked on a first-round choke on the champion. It was tight, yet “Mighty Mouse” stayed calm and took over the later rounds with his smothering top game.
The crowd was chanting Elliott’s name, and indeed the returning UFC vet put on a strong performance against the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But at the end of the day, it was Johnson who proved why he’s nearly impossible to deny as the best fighter in the world. Watch the full fight video highlights of his latest title defense below:
