Demetrious Decisions Dodson In Rematch For Johnson’s 7th Title Defense In UFC 191 Headliner

The main event for the UFC 191 PPV held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena inside the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas played its part in the UFC flyweight division by serving as its latest milestone. The main event featured 125lbs king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (22-02-01) thwarting his latest threat to the throne in the form of a rematch against John “The Magician” Dodson (18-7). Many wondered how different this fight would play out in  comparison to their first chapter that took place about 3 years ago. As it turns out, the sequel would resemble its predecessor as the champion was always one step ahead of the challenger. In the opening round Johnson set the tempo as he attempted three takedowns against his foe. All of them stuffed but all of them successful in pushing Dodson back and putting him on the defense early.  The first takedown of the night happened thanks to Dodson in round 2 as he was able to close distance via the clinch then taking the belt holder to the mat using a leg trip. Johnson did not stay there for long and shortly after getting back to his feet he attempted the fourth takedown that would be stuffed by Dodson. A calm and calculated “Mighty Mouse’ still kept coming forward gliding in and out of the pocket using feints while popping his jab to make his opponent try to counter. Dodson may not have known it then but Johnson’s offense became his defense, he kept moving towards his man hoping for him to react as the minutes kept slipping away with the champion controlling range and distance. Before the round ended Dodson’s best moment came in the form of a body lock which he used to immediately slam-throw Johnson into the cage wall. The Judo tactic proved to be assertive but he was not able to capitalize with any punches or leg kicks that connected.

In the 3rd round Johnson had another takedown stuffed early after trying to get in on the inside using a quick combination. It seemed like he was inching closer and closer towards driving Dodson to the mat but as long as the challenger could keep up this rapid pace of movement and angles he would be fine. Johnson had two more shots stopped by Dodson but in-between those two attempts he set up a clean straight right hand off of the jab that snapped Dodson’s head back getting a big reaction from the crowd. With less than 90 seconds to go Johnson closed in on his man grinding him along the cage wall looking for the takedown and landing a clean strike in the process. The elbow landed and then another takedown followed as the two fought it out along the cage wall, this time with his back to the cage Dodson didn’t have the space to slip out so Johnson was able to finally drive him to the canvas. The New Mexico native hopped right back up to his feet but another lightning fast takedown came from Johnson planting the challenger right back on the ground.

Going into the championship rounds there was a sense of urgency from Dodson and his corner. However, the one who marched forward applying the real pressure was the flyweight champion. He seemlessly was able to back up Dodson against the wall landing some strikes along the way. He doubled his right hand and then switched angles to duck a counter hook from Dodson that missed wide. It was as if “Mighty Mouse” knew what was coming before his foe could throw it. At about the halfway mark of round 4 Dodson went for a takedown and got it, finally able to break the champion’s rhythm. But, it took longer for the Washington native to hit the mat before he was already scooting his hips out in order to spring back up to his feet. With less than a minute to go Johnson punctuated the round throwing a big left hook that came up short but as soon as Dodson went to counter Johnson was already driving in deep with a double leg takedown drilling him into the Octagon floor. In the 5th and final round Johnson caught his man flush with a lead right hand that drew a big reaction from the crowd. Dodson did his best to retaliate but at this point was just hitting air, the champion slid in and out of the pocket as if he was wearing Reebok hover boots. The champ wanted to prove a point with about 3 minutes left in the match; he slipped left, dodged right then shot in on his foe wrapping his arms around his waist. The powerful flyweight lifted Dodson over his head like a fireman carrying a victim out of a burning building, then took a few steps before dumping him to the mat. The crowd inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena exploded with cheers and applause. Dodson got to his feet but from the feints and fancy footwork of Johnson walked right into a hard, straight punch. With about a minute left Johnson put the stamp on the entire 25-minute affair, he got another takedown on his foe but this time served Dodson like Matt Hughes did Frank Trigg. He lifted him up over his shoulder, walked over so the fans could get their cell phones out then slammed him to the mat hard. A resilient Dodson managed to get back up and look for some punches to land before the round came to a close but it was clear without a shadow of a doubt who the man is when it comes to the flyweight division.

The loss lowers John Dodson to (18-7) as the proud new father of a baby girl has nothing to hang his head about since he has already twice challenged for UFC gold. It wasn’t that long ago when Dodson was just a new face on The Ultimate Fighter season 14, he has come a long way and surely will continue to improve on his great skills and technique.

With the win, Demetrious Johnson improves to (22-2-1) staying undefeated at 125-pounds and snagging the 7th defense of his championship belt. The judges saw the contest officially 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45 all for the Seattle-based champion. At the press conference Dana White did not hint at or give any clues as to who was next for Johnson. Speculation could be made that former Olympian and undefeated, Henry Cejudo will get the next shot since he was in attendance , if not possibly Dustin Ortiz who was also on hand to scout the champ. Or maybe they’ll have a match with the winner getting a shot at the belt. Whatever it is , fans can rest assured the Johnson will remain ready as he continues carving out his face and legacy on the Mount Rushmore of the UFC.

ARLOVSKY TACTICAL IN POINTS VERDICT OVER MIR

The backdrop to this tilt in the “big boys” division was simple: two former UFC heavyweight champions squaring off in a battle of resurging veterans who are just as relevant as ever in their respective careers. With possible title contentions looming and a co-main event spot on the UFC 191 card secured, people thought that fireworks were guaranteed when Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovsky collided with Frank Mir. They were wrong as both men decided not to play with fire for 15 minutes in careers that may be closing in on the final curtain. Arlovsky’s calculated approach was clear as he used his upper body movement and reach to fight smart, not hard. In the 1st round Mir was able to fight his fight for some of the stanza, shoving his foe along the cage wall early in the match. He pinned Arlovsky with his back against the fence but none of the classic short elbows, body shots and knees followed by Mir. So much so that the stalemate wound the two separated from the clinch. Arlovsky likely saw this as a confidence booster since Mir is known as a killer on the inside and began to pick Mir apart from the outside, jab, jab, over hand right. Rinse and repeat. Feint, over hand right. Rinse and repeat.

Going into the 2nd round Frank Mir was able to shoot in on his man, wrap up and single leg and turn the corner in order to drag Arlovsky down to the mat. This got the pro-Mir crowd roaring in the stands. But, Mir did not do much from the position other than land a few hammer fists to which Arlovsky returned fire in the form of looping right hands. Mir did not attempt to pass guard or work much of a submission other than what looked like a kimura before referee John McCarthy stood the giants back up. Once on the feet Arlovsky showcased his improved boxing landing a 1-2 combination then began applying the overhand right-heavy assault. Mir momentarily got the crowd excited again with a spinning back elbow, but that was about as good as it got for the Las Vegan. In the 3rd round Arlovsky was able to use the clinch to get Mir along the wall, initially it was Frank who had good control getting his opponent to the cage but for some reason he could not keep him there and go to work with some offense try as he might. During the last few minutes Mir was visibly fatigued, opting to keep his hands dangerously low and switch stances from southpaw to orthodox as the seconds ticked away. He had come into the weigh-in at 266lbs, one of his heaviest weights so maybe a bad camp could explain why his conditioning was sub par? Arlovsky kept control on the feet and kept Mir at range and if they did tie up and ended up along the wall he reversed the BJJ wizard with more and more ease. From the big overhand rights of Arlovsky a cut had opened up on the side of the head of Mir. The bloodied fighter had no more left in the tank as the round came to an end with him landing one or two punches but the power was not there.

Once the scores were announced it was a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 to Andrei Arlovsky (25-10) . The loss lowers the former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, to (18-10) as he goes back to the drawing board. The win puts Arlovsky in the not so pleasant position of waiting out the rest of the year to see what he does next. The reason is because current champion Fabricio Werdum requested to defend against Cain Velasquez in March of 2016. So, Arlovsky possibly wouldn’t fight until next summer should he want to wait for the winner of the match if not opt to get another fight under his belt in the mean time.

“RUMBLE” PUMMELS MANUWA IN 2 ROUNDS HANDING “POSTER BOY” SECOND OCTAGON LOSS ‎