Johnson Edges Dodson In Windy City Title Defense

The first live card on the Fox Network for 2013 delivered outstanding action from top to bottom for “UFC on FOX 6”. The sold out crowd at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois was treated to the first successful title defense of flyweight ruler, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson for the evening’s main event. His opponent that night and TUF Season 14 winner, John Dodson, did catch the champion clean with his powerful left hook counter and sent him to the canvas twice but failed to capitalize on the hurt fighter during the 2nd round of their title clash. Johnson regained his composure and pushed the pace walking his man down using multiple jabs and leg kicks. As the fight progressed, the bout took more of vintage Johnson look because the champion was able to take his challenger down and control him on the mat. An illegal knee strike from Johnson slowed the action down while the referee called time out to check on Dodson however, no point was deducted and the fight continued.

Heading into the championship rounds Johnson found a new weapon to add to his arsenal against his opponent, the Thai Clinch. When he locked it up on Dodson on various occasions, he was able to land some vicious needs to the body and head chipping away at his gas tank. Going into the final minutes those knees took their tole as Dodson had no answer and found himself with his back along the cage as Johnson applied further pressure and began landing more knees, straight punches and hooks at will on his foe. The numbers didn’t lie since Johnson recorded 200 total significant strikes landed on Dodson on his way to a unanimous decision victory for the first defense of the 125-pound UFC belt. The judges saw it (49-46) and (48-47) twice for the Washington native who improves his record to (17-2) while John Dodson drops to (15-6). The TUF 14 winner doesn’t fall too far down the rankings of the division and will surely work his way back up, meanwhile the flyweight champion awaits his next challenger and continues crafting the era of “Mighty Mouse”.

Teixeira Ruins Rampage’s Octagon Retirement Party With Unanimous Win

For the co-main event of the night, Brazilian striker Glover Teixeira dispatched of MMA legend Quinton “Rampage” Jackson after a 15-minute array of successful take downs, clean 1-2s, uppercuts, hooks to the body and leg kicks, stopping any momentum Jackson had coming in. The former PrideFC fighter and one-time UFC light heavyweight champion was game in his refusal to go get KO’d or submitted by his opponent for the last fight of his UFC contract. But, Glover’s attack was too much even stunning his foe with a perfect hook to the head that visibly dazed his man. Glover also surprised critics by taking Jackson down multiple times and once coming close to finishing his opponent taking his back attempting to sink in a rear naked choke. Jackson found his second wind going into the last round but his usually fight ending punches crashed upon Glover’s head with little to no affect on the Brazilian.       Once the dust settled, Glover Teixeira earned the unanimous decision with scores of (29-28) and (30-27) twice stretching his winning streak now to 18 straight victories.

Pettis Hands Cerrone His First Ever KO Loss

Top combatants and former WEC superstars; Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, stepped into the Octagon to put on a high paced scrap in the lightweight division. Both men came forward throwing various hand and feet strikes right out of the gate. As expected, Pettis threw some flashy kicks living up to his nickname before the Milwaukee native switched to southpaw stance momentarily and followed a stricter game plan. It paid dividends as he threw a feint then a left kick that landed flush on Cerrone’s body. Instantly the “Cowboy” fell to the mat and covered up as Pettis rushed in to land a few strikes to the head of his downed opponent. The referee stepped in calling the match as Anthony becomes the first man to KO Cerrone. “Showtime” Pettis picks up the stoppage at (2:35) of the 1st round making a strong case for his desired title shot against 155-pound king, Benson Henderson.

Lamas Bloodies Up Koch On His Way To 2nd Round Stoppage Victory

A featherweight fight took center stage when two ex-WEC warriors locked horns for the main card’s opening bout. Southpaw Eric Koch planned to keep the battle standing but Ricardo Lamas had other plans looking for take downs early in the 1st round. Unsuccessful at first, the Illinois native implemented a mixture of jabs, feints and kicks to set up his shot on Koch, finally getting a take down during the last minute of the opening stanza. The fight went the same for the first couple of minutes of the 2nd round before Lamas slipped coming forward after throwing a low kick and Koch quickly went for a shot of his own. However, Lamas reversed the move and gained top control. The Division III wrestler then began fighting out of Koch’s guard dropping vicious elbows and punches that busted up his foe’s face. A bad cut opened up on Koch from a powerful Lamas strike. After a few more solid elbows and punches, the referee stepped in to stop the fight as Koch’s face became a bloody mess. The official time of the TKO was (2:32) of the 2nd round giving Ricardo Lamas the victory in his hometown of Chicago as he continues climbing the 145-pound ladder.