UFC 216 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money. UFC 216 took place on Saturday, October 7th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card aired on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET as well as FX at […]
UFC 216 is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money.
UFC 216 took place on Saturday, October 7th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card aired on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET as well as FX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card was broadcasted on PPV at 10 p.m. ET.
An interim UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee served as the main event. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg in a flyweight title bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the five bout main card was Fabricio Werdum vs. Walt Harris in a heavyweight bout, Kalindra Faria vs. Mara Romero Borella in a flyweight bout, and Beneil Dariush vs. Evan Dunham in a lightweight bout.
The full payouts include:
Tony Ferguson: $30,000 def. Kevin Lee: $30,000 Demetrious Johnson: $40,000 def. Ray Borg: $30,000 Fabricio Werdum: $10,000 def. Walt Harris: $5,000 Mara Romero Borella: $2,500 def. Kalindra Faria: $2,500 Beneil Dariush: $10,000 vs. Evan Dunham: $15,000 Cody Stamann: $2,500 def. Tom Duquesnoy: $2,500 Lando Vannata: $2,500 vs. Bobby Green: $10,000 Poliana Botelho: $2,500 def. Pearl Gonzalez: $2,500 Matt Schnell: $2,500 def. Marco Beltran: $5,000 John Moraga: $10,000 def. Magomed Bibulatov: $2,500 Brad Tavares: $10,000 def. Thales Leites: $15,000
In the co-main event of UFC 216 on pay-per-view (PPV) last night (Sat. October 7, 2017), UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson attempted a record-breaking title defense against top-ranked contender Ray Borg. Johnson is the sole 125-pound champ in the history of the UFC and hasn’t lost in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition since dropping down […]
In the co-main event of UFC 216 on pay-per-view (PPV) last night (Sat. October 7, 2017), UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson attempted a record-breaking title defense against top-ranked contender Ray Borg.
Johnson is the sole 125-pound champ in the history of the UFC and hasn’t lost in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition since dropping down from bantamweight. “Mighty Mouse” came into his fight against Borg on a ridiculous 12-fight win streak that included a record-tying 10 consecutive UFC title defenses.
The record was formerly solely held by ex-UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. If Johnson is able to get past Borg not only will he solidify himself as the most successful champion in UFC history, but arguably the greatest fighter of all time.
Not many fighters have been able to hold their own against Johnson inside the cage, but No. 3-ranked Ray Borg feels as though he has what it takes to dethrone Johnson. The 24-year-old submission specialist is coming off back-to-back wins over the likes of Louis Smolka and Jussier Formiga. “The Tazmexican Devil” hopes to shock the MMA world and hand Johnson his first loss in six years, crushing his UFC record-breaking aspirations in the process.
Johnson completely dominated Borg for all five rounds, before unleashing an amazing armbar submission off a takedown. It was arguably the greatest submission of all time and Johnson solidified himself as the greatest champion in MMA history.
You can check out the full fight video highlights here:
UFC 216 went down tonight (Saturday, October 7, 2017) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The night was headlined by a championship doubleheader as Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee vied for the interim lightweight strap and Demetrious Johnson sought to make history with his record eleventh-straight title defense against Ray Borg. Both fights […]
UFC 216 went down tonight (Saturday, October 7, 2017) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The night was headlined by a championship doubleheader as Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee vied for the interim lightweight strap and Demetrious Johnson sought to make history with his record eleventh-straight title defense against Ray Borg. Both fights provided scintillating finishes.
Ferguson dropped the first round as he struggled to find his rhythm. Lee had no such trouble, tagging “El Cucuy”, taking him down, and landing solid shots on the mat. Ferguson seemed to start taking back the momentum in round two from a tiring Lee, landing better shots on the feet and staving off Lee’s grappling advances.
In the third, Lee was once again able to take Ferguson down but quickly found himself in trouble. Ferguson slapped on an armbar that looked extremely tight, but Lee stepped over and escaped. But Ferguson snared him in a triangle a few moments later, and there would be no escape for Lee this time, who nearly went out before being rescued by the referee. The win marked Ferguson’s tenth straight at lightweight, extending his own division-best streak.
Johnson made history in the co-main event, and he did it with style points. His fight with the 24-year-old Borg became increasingly more one-sided as it deepened. Borg is a phenomenal athlete and scrambler, but that also happens to be where DJ is perhaps the best ever. Johnson reversed takedown after takedown from the challenger and applied unceasing pressure from top position. Whenever Borg managed to get back to his feet, Johnson would drag him back down and resume his assault.
In the fifth, well ahead on the scorecards with multiple 10-8 rounds possibly already banked, Johnson finally went for the kill. He hit a belly-to-back suplex and transitioned to an armbar while Borg was still in the air. He latched onto the arm, stepped across Borg’s face, and extended the arm, eliciting the tap after a brief struggle. It was one of the most impressive finishes in MMA history and cemented DJ as one of the best ever.
See how Twitter reacted to these wild finishes below:
Sweet Jesus. What a way to break Anderson Silva's title defense record. Greatest submission in @ufc history and p4p great #UFC216pic.twitter.com/Vnn43LSllx
Not only the winningest champion ever but not a slip-up in or out of the cage. Never embarsssed the sport. Quintessential pro. Champion of a person. Glad to see DJ finally getting his due.
Although it wasn’t the most hyped UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of the year, last night’s (Sat., October 7, 2017) UFC 216 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, delivered a little bit of everything for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, and thankfully, most of it was extremely exciting. Tony Ferguson weathered a powerful assault from rising […]
Although it wasn’t the most hyped UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of the year, last night’s (Sat., October 7, 2017) UFC 216 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, delivered a little bit of everything for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans, and thankfully, most of it was extremely exciting.
Tony Ferguson weathered a powerful assault from rising contender Kevin Lee to submit ‘The Motown Phenom’ and win the interim lightweight title in the main event, while dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson broke Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses when he tapped out Ray Borg with an insane suplex-to-armbar submission the likes of which we’ve truly never seen.
The card also featured back-and-forth wars and more submissions like Fabricio Werdum’s textbook 65-second armbar of short-notice replacement Walt Harris.
The event provided the MMA world with a lot to digest, so join the fighters for their reactions at the UFC 216 post-fight press conference streaming live right now:
Demetrious Johnson’s quest for history was finally realized Saturday at UFC 216.
As usual, he made it look easy.
Johnson systematically demolished the overmatched Ray Borg in their co-main event fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, securing a one-of-a…
Demetrious Johnson’s quest for history was finally realized Saturday at UFC 216.
As usual, he made it look easy.
Johnson systematically demolished the overmatched Ray Borg in their co-main event fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, securing a one-of-a-kind flying armbar three minutes, 15 seconds into the final round.
The win boosted Johnson past Anderson Silva for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history, at 11, and reinvigorated the discussion about whether he may already be the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
As a cherry on top, Johnson also pulled off one of the most impressive finishing sequences ever seen in the Octagon.
With roughly three minutes gone in the fifth round, the champion slipped behind Borg and tossed him in the air as if trying to take him down with suplex. As Borg came back to earth, Johnson slung his legs over the challenger’s shoulders and locked up the arm bar.
Borg tried to fight through the pain and escape, but finally tapped out and conceded the win—and history—to Johnson.
“I’m not in the business of getting hit and taking concussions,” Johnson told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan in the cage when it was over. “That s–t’s way overrated, I’m telling you. I’m the business of getting in here and making a fool of you, throwing you in the air like a bag of potatoes, throwing you down between my legs and breaking your arm.”
We’ve never seen a fighter quite like Mighty Mouse in the UFC.
Johnson is too good for any other flyweight to handle. He’s so technically flawless, so well-rounded and so smooth that he’s made child’s play out of picking off the division’s top contenders one by one since winning the belt in 2012.
Johnson already has many observers convinced he’s the best to ever lace four-ounce gloves. If anything, however, his dominant performance against Borg—and the unorthodox way he ended the fight—only underscored the problem with his all-time great title reign.
Perhaps partly because he faces no close competition, Johnson has toiled in relative obscurity while surpassing Silva for sheer number of consecutive championship defenses.
As the Octagon’s smallest male titlist (5’3″, 125 lbs), he hasn’t connected with a large portion of the UFC audience. Hardcore fans celebrate his fights, but they typically fetch mediocre TV ratings and poor pay-per-view buyrates.
Even as he broke Silva’s record Saturday, Johnson did it as the co-main event in support of Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee’s scrap for the interim lightweight title.
If Johnson is ever going to convince his doubters he is the greatest and have a chance at locking down the popularity he deserves, he needs bigger challenges.
There has been talk that his next fight might be against the winner of the men’s bantamweight title bout between Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw at UFC 217 next month. By all means, it’s time for the UFC to book—and for Johnson to accept—that fight.
If not Garbrandt or Dillashaw, perhaps a rematch with former 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz would be in order. It was Cruz, after all, who handed Johnson his most recent professional loss, back in 2011 when Mighty Mouse was still fighting at 135 pounds.
It’s time for Johnson to take on the biggest challenges he can find, even (maybe especially) if that means stepping outside the flyweight rat race. He’s outgrown it, and it’s time to book him in higher-profile matchups while he’s still in his athletic prime.
Even this victory over Borg seemed to come at a cost for Johnson, as it took longer than first planned for him to pass Silva on the all-time title-defense list.
Johnson and Borg were originally scheduled to square off at UFC 215 in September, but Borg withdrew during fight week due to medical reasons. The bout had to be rescheduled for four weeks later at UFC 216.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s relationship with the UFC appeared strained during the lead-up to this bout. He clashed with UFC President Dana White while trying to find an opponent. UFC brass wanted Johnson to fight Dillashaw, but the champion insisted on breaking the consecutive title-defense record against a bona fide member of the flyweight class.
Now that Borg has been dispatched, there’s no reason to put it off any longer.
Granted, 125-pound contenders Henry Cejudo and Sergio Pettis are scheduled to meet at UFC 218 on December 2. Barring an injury or other unforeseen complications, that bout will produce a worthy No. 1 contender in the flyweight division.
But Johnson just defeated Cejudo via first-round TKO in April 2016, and it seems impossible the 24-year-old Pettis could be ready to dethrone Johnson so early in his UFC career.
Either guy would be a fine next opponent for Johnson, but they lack the sizzle of a bout with Garbrandt or Dillashaw.
For now, Johnson has proved all he can by taking on the flyweight rank and file.
It’s high time he and the UFC put their heads together and figure out how he can go big.
UFC 216 is set to take place on Saturday, October 7th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card will air on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET as well as FXX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card will be broadcasted on PPV at 10 p.m. ET. […]
UFC 216 is set to take place on Saturday, October 7th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The preliminary card will air on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET as well as FXX at 8 p.m. ET. The main card will be broadcasted on PPV at 10 p.m. ET.
An interim UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee will serve as the main event. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg in a flyweight title bout will serve as the co-main event. Rounding out the five bout main card is Fabricio Werdum vs. Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight bout, Kalindra Faria vs. Mara Romero Borella in a flyweight bout, and Beneil Dariush vs. Evan Dunham in a lightweight bout.
UFC officials held the early weigh-ins for UFC 216 on Friday morning at noon ET and here are the weigh-in results:
MAIN CARD (PPV/10 p.m. ET) Interim UFC Lightweight Championship: Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee UFC Flyweight Championship: Demetrious Johnson (c) vs. Ray Borg Heavyweight: Fabricio Werdum vs. Derrick Lewis
Flyweight: Kalindra Faria vs. Mara Romero Borella Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs. Evan Dunham PRELIMINARY CARD (FXX/8 p.m. ET) Bantamweight: Tom Duquesnoy vs. Cody Stamman
Lightweight: Nik Lentz vs. Will Brooks Lightweight: Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata
Strawweight: Poliana Botelho vs. Pearl Gonzalez PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/6 p.m. ET) Heavyweight: Walt Harris vs. Mark Godbeer Flyweight: Magomed Bibulatov vs. John Moraga Middleweight: Thales Leites vs. Brad Tavares Flyweight: Marco Beltran vs. Matt Schnell
Demetrious Johnson’s quest for history was finally realized Saturday at