Quick, name the only UFC champion that hasn’t headlined a pay-per-view.
If you said Demetrious Johnson, congratulations. The headline may have been a strong hint, but you got it.
It’s true. The promotion’s lightest champion has yet to be th…
Quick, name the only UFC champion that hasn’t headlined a pay-per-view.
If you said Demetrious Johnson, congratulations. The headline may have been a strong hint, but you got it.
It’s true. The promotion’s lightest champion has yet to be the main attraction for a pay-per-view—partially due to the fact that fighters from the smaller weight divisions rarely draw the buy rates that the UFC desperately seeks.
According to MMA Payout Blue Book, only one card headlined by fighters weighing 135 pounds or less has topped 300,000 buys—UFC 132 headlined by Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz.
But Johnson is partially to blame for his lack of drawing power.
For those who love the technical aspects of the game, Johnson is a joy to watch. His footwork, quickness and wrestling ability truly make him the best in his division. He’s taken on explosive technical opponents in Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall and John Dodson and topped them all.
However, those aren’t the qualities of a fighter that make a draw.
No, the average fan not only wants to see a champion win but a champion win impressively—preferably by finishing his opponent.
Since dropping down to his current division, Johnson has gone 3-0-1 on his way to winning the inaugural tournament, including a majority draw against McCall and a split decision against Benavidez.
While the FightMetric stats for those bouts wouldn’t indicate that “Mighty Mouse” was not on the receiving end of any egregious decisions, it still doesn’t do anything to combat the perception that he’s a “boring” champion.
So what can Johnson do to sell himself as a more marketable champion?
Finishing John Moraga at UFC on Fox 8 would be a great start.
Unfortunately, Johnson will be in the precarious position of fighting an opponent whose skill set is much farther along than his notoriety. Moraga has just one loss on his record (to John Dodson 2010) and has finished Ulysses Gomez and Chris Cariaso since joining the UFC.
The problem?
His first fight against Gomez opened up the FX preliminaries for UFC on Fox 4, and his second fight was buried on the Facebook prelims of UFC 155. In essence, there’s a strong possibility that many fans will be seeing Moraga fight for the first time Saturday.
Johnson cannot afford to have a close fight with someone with as little exposure as Moraga if he wants to become a bigger draw.
Perhaps it’s an indication of the fans’ general indifference toward the UFC’s flyweight division, but UFC on Fox 8 has flown under the radar.
We’re used to heavy promotion for these nationally televised cards, but Zuffa hasn&rsq…
Perhaps it’s an indication of the fans’ general indifference toward the UFC’s flyweight division, but UFC on Fox 8 has flown under the radar.
We’re used to heavy promotion for these nationally televised cards, but Zuffa hasn’t flexed its promotional muscle on this one.
Still, there’s plenty to look forward to on Saturday night, including Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga for the UFC’s 125-pound title and Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald, which has turned into something of a grudge match.
With such a stellar card on offer, I decided to get the boys back together for one last job (until the next card, that is). On the crew we have Scott Harris, Riley Kontek, Craig Amos, Sean Smith and yours truly, James MacDonald.
Read on for our thoughts on Saturday night’s main card.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (17-2-1) looks to make his second successful defense of the UFC flyweight title on Saturday against John Moraga (13-1) at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash.
The flyweight title match headlines the UFC on Fox 8 fight card. John…
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (17-2-1) looks to make his second successful defense of the UFC flyweight title on Saturday against John Moraga (13-1) at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash.
The flyweight title match headlines the UFC on Fox 8 fight card. Johnson is one of the best all-around fighters in the world, but many of the flyweight bouts fail to hold the attention of the casual MMA fan.
While winning would suffice, Johnson or Moraga would love to put on a show that helps to excite more fans about the smallest weight class in the UFC.
Here’s a look at the full card with fight information, network coverage and predictions. The predictions with an asterisk indicate a deeper analysis is below.
Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard Will Remind Us Why We Thought He Was an Exciting Fighter
Can you still call yourself the “Young Assassin” at 30 years old? Perhaps, the “Seasoned Assassin” is a more appropriate alias for the man from New Orleans.
Guillard has been in his share of knockdown, drag-out wars, but recently he’s come up on the short end of too many of them. He’s lost four of his last five fights and is descending down the rankings.
He badly needs a win over Mac Danzig to stop his free-fall.
The strategy for Guillard against Danzig is simple. Guillard must keep the fight standing so he can take advantage of his quickness and dynamic striking. The issue for Guillard is that he loses focus at times, and his defense suffers.
It’s a risky prediction, but I’m picking Guillard to win this one by spectacular KO.
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal Will Be Michael “Maverick” Chiesa’s Bump in the Road
Something unexpected is going to happen to Chiesa on his road to stardom in the UFC. The Maverick is a perfect 9-0 having submitted seven of his opponents, but Masvidal represents a significant step up in competition.
He’s not coming to Seattle to fall neatly in line as Chiesa’s 10th victim. In fact, his speed, size, experience and striking ability will lead to a victory.
Chiesa’s grappling and submissions game is stellar, but Masvidal will be the first opponent he faces who won’t be completely befuddled by Chiesa’s long limbs and octopus like tactics on the ground.
Gamebred wins this bout by decision on the strength of his striking.
Ruthless Robbie Lawler Win Short Slugfest With Vicious Bobby Voelker
Both Lawler and Voelker would rather throw bombs at each other, so this fight may actually wind up being the most crowd-pleasing bout of the night—while it lasts.
Lawler has won 17 of his 20 fights by KO and Voelker has claimed 15 of his 24 in the same manner. It is fairly safe to say this one is going to end in a knockout.
I give Lawler the edge because he’s a bit more explosive and he’s naturally the bigger, stronger fighter. This fight could be a prime candidate for KO of the Night with Lawler as the victor.
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger Will Upset Rory MacDonald
It feels a bit disrespectful to Ellenberger to call this a potential upset, but I do so because MacDonald is the chosen one in many MMA circles. He is certainly skilled and one of the most well-rounded fighters in the sport, but Ellenberger is the type of fighter who can derail him.
Ellenberger is a powerful wrestler that packs a sledgehammer-like punch that can change a night. Just recently it appears he is finding a nice balance between wrestling and striking.
He did have the misstep against Martin Kampman in January 2012, but aside from that, the Juggernaut has been on a nice run winning eight of his last nine fights.
MacDonald seems so calm and collected in his bouts, but the truth is, he’s only truly been tested by one opponent, and that was Carlos Condit in 2010.
The Natural Born Killer handed MacDonald his only loss of his career up to now, but Ellenberger will give him his second blemish. Ellenberger’s power is so explosive, he only needs to touch an opponent once. He displayed that quality in his last fight against Nate Marquadt at UFC 158.
As good as MacDonald can be, he will fall victim to Ellenberger’s power. Watch the overhand right at the end of exchanges, it could be a key punch in the fight.
Mighty Mouse Will Out-Strike John Moraga
Fans may again be bored by the flyweights’ artistry, and that truly is a shame. Johnson is one of the most gifted athletes in any sport, and he’ll again prove that with a decision win over Moraga.
Much like athletically superior boxers, Johnson is so fast, calculated and agile, he is able to land shots and maneuver out of harm’s way before taking punishment from his opponents. Moraga has plenty of speed himself, but few—if any—are on Johnson’s level when it comes to swiftness.
Expect this to be a clear unanimous decision win for the champion.
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UFC on Fox 8 newcomer Jessica Andrade has answered a lot of questions leading into her fight this weekend against Liz Carmouche, probably more than she’s ever responded to before.
First, there’s the added media attention that goes along with just fight…
UFC on Fox 8 newcomer Jessica Andrade has answered a lot of questions leading into her fight this weekend against Liz Carmouche, probably more than she’s ever responded to before.
First, there’s the added media attention that goes along with just fighting in the UFC. It’s the biggest MMA organization in the world, so naturally there are going to be more interviews and a brighter spotlight on any athlete competing there.
The pressure ratcheted up on Andrade this week when reporters started asking about her sexual orientation, because she’s openly stated in the past that she’s gay.
It’s an intriguing storyline because Andrade faces Carmouche, who is also an openly gay fighter, and this is the first time in MMA history that it has happened.
Still, Andrade at just 21 years of age is more focused on the fight and not so much the social issues that surround her UFC debut. This is a dream come true for Andrade, so she’s not going to waste much time basking in the attention of the moment.
She’s here to fight and win on Saturday night.
“I was extremely happy with the opportunity,” Andrade told Bleacher Report. “All the hard work my entire team did had a good result. It will be the biggest chance I had in my career and I will work very hard to make the most of it.”
There is an unknown factor at work for Andrade because she is so young and hasn’t fought on any major cards in the United States. On the flipside, Carmouche has oodles of video to carve through to try and find tendencies or weaknesses, and Andrade has been studying plenty since she landed this fight a few weeks ago.
Andrade talked about her preparation:
“Before we had some knowledge of her because of her bouts in Strikeforce and later on with Ronda (Rousey) in the UFC. Now we have had some time to watch her more carefully and we are more aware of what she brings to the table and what we can do against her. But in the end the main thing we got from all the studying is that both our styles compliment each other in a way that will make for a great fight for the fans.”
Andrade has the element of surprise on her side and she’s also coming into the fight as a very heavy underdog. Despite the fact that on paper, she has the same experience inside the cage as Carmouche, the odds makers are giving her very little chance against the former title contender.
Andrade is fine with that scenario because it just makes the taste of victory that much sweeter.
“It’s the best motivator one can have,” Andrade said. “I have been on this side of the equation many times. I can’t really think of many times where I wasn’t the underdog and so far that has worked out pretty well for me.”
While Andrade is still a little raw in her skill set development, she isn’t as young in the MMA game as her age may denote. She grew up in the MMA gyms of Brazil, which can turn any fighter from putty into leather in just a matter of months.
Andrade has developed a nasty guillotine choke that she’s used to put away four opponents out of her nine wins, and she’s got power in both hands as evidenced by three more wins on her record by TKO.
So whether she’s an underdog or a favorite, cheered by the crowd or an unknown, Andrade knows was she has to do to get the job done against Carmouche.
“I believe that although she is very strong, I’m also surprisingly strong for my size,” Andrade said. “Like her I can take a punch pretty well so in the end what might make a difference is my cardio. It’s hard to predict as it’s a tough fight, but I see myself beating her by TKO.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
The UFC will visit Seattle’s Key Arena this weekend for UFC on Fox 8. On Saturday, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will put his title on the line against fourth-ranked contender John Moraga in the main event. The co-main event will feat…
The UFC will visit Seattle’s Key Arena this weekend for UFC on Fox 8. On Saturday, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will put his title on the line against fourth-ranked contender John Moraga in the main event. The co-main event will feature a bout between highly ranked welterweight contenders Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.
Moraga will look to end Johnson’s reign as the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion.
That reign began at UFC 152 when Johnson earned a split decision over the favored Joseph Benavidez. Since that win, Johnson has defended the title once, besting John Dodson.
The fighters in the co-main event are ranked third (MacDonald) and fourth (Ellenberger) in the welterweight division. A win in this bout could very well set the victor up as the next fighter to compete for the UFC welterweight title, a title that champion Georges St-Pierre will put on the line against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in November.
Weigh-ins will take place on Friday, July 26. The first fighter is scheduled to hit the scale at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, and Bleacher Report will be streaming the action as it takes place.
At first glance when looking at John Albert’s recent record, there’s a hard fact to ignore: He enters his fight at UFC on Fox 8 coming off of three straight losses.
Now for most fighters this might signal a change in attitude or demeanor when approachi…
At first glance when looking at John Albert’s recent record, there’s a hard fact to ignore: He enters his fight at UFC on Fox 8 coming off of three straight losses.
Now for most fighters this might signal a change in attitude or demeanor when approaching their next bout. Some fighters readily admit that when faced with the prospect of multiple losses in a row they change their style to assure themselves victory in the face of defeat.
The philosophy in the MMA world is known as “fighting not to lose,” which many times ends up in a rather boring contest.
Albert just isn’t built that way, and he follows the UFC’s decree that the fighters who put on a show will always have a home inside the Octagon.
“That’s what they say over, and over and over again—bring the fight,” Albert told Bleacher Report. “They’ve shown it, too, because if you look at that list of fighters being cut, they were planning on doing 100 cuts by the end of this year, and I’m never on that list because they appreciate guys that come to fight.”
Albert’s three losses in a row also don’t tell the whole story on his performances. His fight against Erik Perez was stopped early when referee Kim Winslow halted the bout during a submission despite Albert never actually giving up. The UFC agreed and even paid him his win bonus for the fight.
His other two losses were back-and-forth wars, one of which earned him Fight of the Night honors for his battle against Scott Jorgensen at UFC on Fox 5 last December.
The way Albert sees things, he would rather go out and put on a show for the fans and walk away with a defeat than put on a boring performance to the point where no one wants to see him fight again.
“That’s just not who I am as a person. I’m in this sport because I love to fight, and the fans are really the people who are the reason I do what I do,” Albert said. “The fans are the ones watching and appreciating and bringing me back, so I do what I can to give them the show.”
The three fighters who beat Albert all have a reputation in MMA.
Ivan Menjivar has been around the sport for many years and is one of the most respected veterans in MMA. Jorgensen is a former title contender in the WEC, while Perez is looked at as one of the top prospects in the sport.
This time around, Albert didn’t get a top-10 opponent or a veteran. He drew second-time UFC fighter YaotzinMeza, and Albert is more than happy to give him a rude welcome similar to the one he received in his debut, when he was flattened by Chad Mendes in less than two minutes.
“I think my style gives anybody problems,” Albert said about the matchup. “That’s how I like to fight. I’d rather go out with a bang than win a poor decision. I definitely think it will work in my favor, and I’m going to try to finish it. He has been known to be a decision-grinder. If I can’t put him away in the first couple of rounds I might have a little bit of trouble in the third, but that’s just my fighting style. It’s real hard for people to deal with me when they go that hard.”
Albert isn’t approaching this fight with a different mentality knowing that a fourth loss in a row could possibly signal the end of his UFC career. He’s actually looking at this as a chance to make a statement against Meza so he can get back in the cage with the top 10 fighters in his division.
“I don’t mentally prepare for a fight like, this guy isn’t in the top 10 like my past opponents so I’m going to go out there and smash him,” Albert said. “I always prepare like he’s the most dangerous guy I could face. But I do think I can use it to show that my last two losses were literally against top-10 fighters in the world, that I deserve to stay and compete against the best in the world. So I can definitely use this fight to say that.
“There’s no hesitation or nervousness when Sean Shelby (UFC matchmaker) called me and said ‘Do you want to fight this guy, do you want to fight that guy?’ I’m just like, these guys are tough, of course I want to fight them!”
Albert’s “go big or go home” style hasn’t yielded him wins in his last few fights, but he’s made a memorable impression with each performance. Albert knows what he’s capable of doing, and he plans on making an example out of Meza on Saturday night to prove it.
“I feel like I do that with all of my opponents, I overwhelm them. Not like I’m going out there like a brute, I’m throwing clean shots and clean submissions, and I think that will kind of frazzle him,” Albert commented. “When I look at his fights before the UFC, he was the guy that would kind of press forward. I’m that guy that will stand my ground and he’s not going to push me back.
“I don’t think my style’s very good for him.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Quick, name the only UFC champion that hasn’t headlined a pay-per-view.