And Still…
Another fight, another victory, another step closer to reaching his goal of equalling and eventually topping Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive successful title defences. The record is 10; Johnson is at seven and counting.
This fight showed how much Johnson has continued to improve since their first encounter, where Dodson clipped him coming in on several occasions. Saturday night, there were no points where the champion was in real danger – he bobbed and weaved, landed and escaped, noting his untouched appearance after the bout and declaring that “this is what technique gets you.”
At this point, Johnson has turned back all the challengers that are ready to fight for the title right now. The winner of the upcoming fight between Henry Cejudo and Jussier Formiga will likely be next, but beyond that, there isn’t a lot left, meaning we could eventually see “Mighty Mouse” return to bantamweight.
Until then, he’ll continue to dominate and reign supreme as the one and only man to wear gold in the UFC flyweight division.
How Are You Not Entertained?
Demetrious Johnson is the most complete fighter on the planet – the embodiment of everything people say that want out of their fighters – and yet whenever he fights, people in attendance invariably boo, prompting me to always ask, “What gives?”
“Mighty Mouse” walked into the cage and dominated the last man to give him a serious test inside the Octagon, showcasing his continually expanding arsenal and ever-present ridiculous pace to pick up his seventh consecutive successful title defence. He’s a more active, more aggressive fighter than Georges St-Pierre was post-Matt Serra and yet fans never seem to be satisfied.
I get that everyone has their favourites and things they look for in a fight, but how can you watch this dude and come away unimpressed? I honestly need someone to explain it to me because I don’t want to believe that Johnson’s “uneducated fools” quip from the UFC 191 Media Call isn’t correct, but more and more, it seems to be true.
And that makes me sad.
Andrei Arlovski, UFC Heavyweight Contender
It’s 2015 and Andrei Arlovski very well could be the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division. If you had told me that would be the case coming off his “Return to the UFC” win over Brendan Schaub last summer in Vancouver, I’d have called you crazy, but that’s exactly where we stand.
Most people, myself included, left Arlovski for dead when he washed out of Strikeforce on three straight consecutive losses and four straight defeats in total. Even after putting together some solid wins on smaller shows, watching him get battered by Anthony Johnson under the WSOF banner seemed like an indication that he wasn’t going to be able to make another run at the top.
And yet here we are.
Regardless of your thoughts on the scores, you have to admit this is a crazy and compelling story. Andrei Arlovski could very well fight for UFC gold in 2016. That’s incredible and I can’t wait to see how the next chapter in this story plays out.
Rumble
I’m going to set aside all the outside of the cage stuff for a minute and focus only on Anthony Johnson’s performance on Saturday night. If you don’t like that, skip ahead. I’ll talk about the other stuff later this week.
“Rumble” is nasty, man. He planted Jimi Manuwa with a massive right hand – a bungalow, as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would call it – that made “Poster Boy” do the Nestea Plunge. A couple quick follow-ups and the show was over with Johnson returning to the win column in impressive fashion. It was the kind of blistering performance everyone was expecting, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive.
Johnson went to his wrestling early in the fight, seeing an opening and taking it to put Manuwa on the canvas. He’s used it in the past, but now that he’s working with Neil Melanson, don’t be surprised if he adds takedowns into his arsenal a little more in the future as a way to keep people guessing an opening things up for his scary striking even more.
Championship Upside
Paige VanZant has legitimate championship potential; she’s 21-years-old, has won three straight in the UFC and continues to improve between each fight.
Before anyone says, “Yeah, well Joanna Jedrzejczyk would tune her up right now!” press pause. Of course the reigning, defending strawweight champion would dominate a fight today – “Joanna Champion” has a handful more high level MMA fights and a wealth of experience from her days as a champion kickboxer. She’s also seven years old than VanZant.
But a couple years down the road, if “12 Gauge” continues to progress at the way she has since her UFC debut in Austin, Texas against Kailin Curran, it could be a different story. VanZant rag-dolled Alex Chambers and finished with a slick transition into an armbar, collecting her third straight impressive victory.
The Team Alpha Male rep has long said she’s got a couple years to top Jon Jones’ record as the youngest champion in UFC history. After Saturday’s performance, the possibility of her breaking that mark became a little more realistic.
Pattern Continues for Pearson
Win one, lose one; that’s how it has gone as of late for Ross Pearson and it continued that way on Saturday night as the former TUF winner picked up a split decision victory over Paul Felder in the final preliminary card bout of the evening.
Coming off a disappointing loss to Evan Dunham in Scotland, “The Real Deal” admitted earlier in the week that he was champing at the bit to get back into the Octagon and acknowledged that inconsistency had been an issue. The Sunderland native and San Diego resident said getting to fired up and not following the game plan was part of the issue and that easing back and listening to his corner was key to starting a winning streak.
That’s exactly what transpired against Felder, as Pearson moved well and stayed on script, avoiding any prolonged exchanges and avoiding dangerous situations to secure the victory.
Always entertaining, the depth of the lightweight division makes it imperative that Pearson start to string together a number of wins in order to make any real progress up the ranks. This was a great, but the key is breaking the pattern and picking up a second consecutive win next time out.
Bantamweight Nuclear Warfare Bout Delivers and Then Some
Going into UFC 191, the bantamweight fight between Cisco Rivera and John Lineker was expected to be a smoke show; a scrap between two dudes that would plant their feet and fire. When it transpired, it was all that and then some.
After a brief feeling out period, Lineker and Rivera did as expect, standing in the pocket and launching rockets at each other in a game called, “How Good is Your Chin?” Both men landed stiff, both men stumbled and both men continued slinging. It was a 135-pound version of the Andrei Arlovski-Travis Browne fight from a couple months ago and it was awesome.
Lineker ultimately got the better of the exchange, stinging Rivera and sending him to the canvas. While Rivera got back to his feet and hit a desperation takedown, he landed with his head outside and the Brazilian powerhouse locked up the guillotine choke, securing the tap and a standout victory in his bantamweight debut.
The Rocky Pennington Revenge Tour Begins
In speaking with Raquel Pennington in advance of her rematch with Jessica Andrade, the TUF 18 alum told me that she wants to get a second chance against everyone on the UFC roster that has beaten her in the past, which is why she was excited about Saturday’s scrap with Andrade, as the spirited Brazilian earned the nod in their first meeting at UFC 171.
After a close first round where Pennington landed the cleaner shot, but Andrade scored several takedowns, the second was more of the same. Pennington survived a couple flurries and another big takedown to get back to her feet and take the fight to Andrade, stinging her along the cage before taking her back and getting the rear naked choke with seconds left in the round.
The remaining names on her hit list? Holly Holm, Cat Zingano and Leslie Smith. Sign me up for any of those.
Odd Ending in a Fun Scrap
The middleweight scrap between Joe Riggs and Ron Stallings came to an abrupt halt midway through the second round.
After being on the business end of things in the first, Riggs dropped Stallings early in the second, and began unloading elbows from top position. As he postured up, Stalling landed an upkick that caught Riggs in the side of the face – a foul, but not something that looked like it would bring the fight to a halt.
Unfortunately, some shots earlier in the fight had Riggs already fidgeting with his right eye and the kick, which he said grazed his eye, brought the festivities to a halt. Stallings initially reacted positively, believing he had earned his second consecutive UFC win, but instead, it was the 32-year-old veteran Riggs who picks up his first victory inside the Octagon in nine years, dating back to his UFC Fight Night 6 win over Jason Von Flue.
Sights & Sounds of Fight Night
Without fail, the most vocal, active fans in the building always end up behind Press Row. Always. No matter the city.
Saturday night, the President of the Clay Collard Fan Club and Audience Coaching Society was 12 rows up in Section 210, directly behind me. She was full of helpful tips and advice for the Pit Elevated product, demanding he “FIGHT!” and suggesting that he “GET UP!” when Tiago Trator took him to the ground.
Admittedly, Collard Fan Numero Uno was better than “Kick Him in the F*@$ing Throat!” Guy and the dude that always yells out combinations, but she’s the clear bronze medalist. Surprisingly, she wasn’t that vocal when the split decision fell in Trator’s favour, making me question whether she lost her voice or was simply flabbergasted that her boy didn’t get the nod.
