For one round, Tim Elliott had the best pound-for-pound fighter stunned.
Elliott had Demetrious Johnson in a guillotine and switched into a d’arce choke. Any other fighter would have been in trouble. Any other fighter would have probably been forced to tap.
Not Demetrious Johnson.
Johnson would nonchalantly escape and get back to his feet. After having an uncharacteristically close round, Johnson would go to work.
Johnson repeatedly took Elliott down and countered Elliott’s attacks. He controlled the ground game and was seriously close to finishing Elliott numerous times. In the end, it was a 49-46 unanimous decision for Johnson.
Just another day at the office for “Mighty Mouse”.
Johnson mowed down Elliott, just as he has done to Joseph Benavidez, Henry Cejudo, John Dodson and many more. No matter the name and skill level, DJ mows them down.
What Johnson did was more than expected. But it should not be taken for granted that Johnson now has nine consecutive title defenses, second only to Anderson Silva. He very well could be the greatest fighter of all-time and that cannot be stated enough.
The main event was stellar, but the best fight of the night may have been between two guys trying to get another shot at Johnson.
Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo had an absolute war in which Benavidez came away with the win. In the first round, Cejudo accidentally hit Benavidez in the groin area twice. This made referee Yves Lavigne deduct a point from Cejudo. A lot of people felt it was unnecessary and that it swayed the fight in Benavidez’s favor, as a round he potentially lost turned into a 9-9 tie for Cejudo at best. Benavidez won the battle and will try to get the third shot at Demetrious Johnson that he has been waiting for. What’s next for Henry Cejudo? He could take on a top contender to improve his stock. But ultimately, I believe that Cejudo will not move from being the next guy in line if he chooses to wait.
The other fights on the card also stood out, as they all were meaningful in some way.
Brandon Moreno continued his excellent showcase so far in the UFC in a split-decision victory over Ryan Benoit. Sara McMann defeated Alexis Davis via submission in the second-round and then proceeded to call out the winner of Rousey-Nunes. Jarred Cannonier showed how complete his game can be and Jorge Masvidal won an awkward fight against Jake Ellenberger due to Ellenberger getting his foot stuck in the cage.
As the smoke cleared, there were some new questions we wanted answers to. What’s the Flyweight division’s next move? Is Sara McMann going to get the next title shot in the bantamweight division? How could that Ellenberger-Masvidal fight end like that?
But the most important question that comes out of last night is who can stop “Mighty Mouse”? Because Demetrious Johnson is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And I have a feeling that isn’t going to change in the near future.
Recent Comments