JOHNSON SECURES HISTORIC 9TH UFC TITLE DEFENSE VIA UD OVER ELLIOT IN TUF 24 MAIN EVENT FROM PALMS IN VEGAS

The best active MMA fighter in many media rankings and on most analysts’ current Top 10 if not Top 5 lists, UFC flyweight ruler Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson (25-2-1), stepped into the ring behind a10-fight win streak and in search of his 9th world title defense ‎opposite The Ultimate Fighter season 24 winner and Missouri’s own, Tim Elliot (14-7-1). As an 8-1 betting favorite it was almost expected that Johnson would continue to do what he does: thoroughly dominate in the Octagon.

 

And that’s what he did after an intense opening 5 minutes.

 

After a quick take down by the champion to kick off the first stanza and then fishing for a guillotine choke he wound up inside of a Tim Elliot reversal orchestrated by guillotine attempt from the challenger which turned into a follow up D’Arce choke submission as the crowd’s jaw dropped in surprise and amazement. Not one person was sitting down as from a distance; it looked like the titleholder would have a long night. Whether it was Elliot’s ability to smoothly slap on both chokes or the champion’s tenacity blended with his experience and calmness, it was an exciting 3 minutes of give and take, back and forth and Elliot ‎getting the better of the Pound for Pound star.

 

‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson survived the Elliot assault then began pressing forward with some high kicks and punch combinations. However, Elliot would inexplicably put his hand on his knees needing to rest as he stood across the champ only to push through by walking his man down along the cage wall and ripping at his body behind 5-6 unanswered punches as he dug deep. ‎Johnson still landed the cleaner and faster punches, forcing his foe backwards as he chopped away with kicks and left and right hooks. Elliot caught a body kick from Johnson to pull him in then drag him to the ground and finish the round on top position using another guillotine attack.

 

Heading into Round 2, Johnson got the take down early and Elliot used it to apply another choke attack. However, Johnson slipped his head out then used the hold to his advantage by adjusting the angle and sliding into side control. The champ then applied a kimura attack before getting into half guard and hitting two big forearms on Elliot that crammed his head into the canvas making a sickening thud when his face collided with the unforgiving Octagon floor. From there Johnson rode his foe’s back working his ground and pound and keeping a tight body lock just before the final 30 seconds as Elliot managed to scoot his hips out, turn and rise to his feet then take Johnson down and end the round inside Johnson’s guard but not get off anything meaningful.

 

Going into the 3rd Round Johnson got the match to the mat in the first minute with little resistance on the take down. The Washington native passed Elliot’s guard immediately then began applying a front naked choke. Elliot survived and popped back to his feet then drove the champ backwards unto the canvas getting top control and landing some tight elbows to Johnson’s head along the way. ‎Elliot wasn’t able to stop a Johnson take down which resulted in him being pinned along the cage wall as Johnson worked out of his foe’s guard landing some ground and pound along the way. A few hammer fists from Johnson and Elliot was throwing up a triangle arm bar attempt to slow down the offense. The West Coast warrior muscled out of it then got to half guard then passed his man’s guard to land some ground and pound out of side control before Elliot returned to guard and the round came to a close.

 

The 4th and 5th round were all Demetrious Johnson as he got the take downs he wanted, landed the ground and pound when he needed it or was first to land a hook or kick and when he felt like taking the match to the ground, he did.

 

In Round 4 Johnson easily got the fight to the mat, passed his man’s guard and applied a side choke which Elliot survived then ended up controlled by DJ who worked out of side control. The champ went for a crucifix and landed some nasty punches to his man’s face then attempted a kimura that was deep but Elliot survived and amazingly enough popped out of then hopped to his feet. He was controlled by the belt holder for over 4 minutes but still threw a kick then a cartwheel kick to finish the round.

 

‎Heading into Round 5 Johnson pushed the pace but got taken down in the first 40 seconds by a perfectly time Elliot take down. From there Johnson scooted back, turned the corner and got to a north south position on the challenger. From there he passed to side control as Elliot operated behind a closed guard to keep Johnson close and prevent him from getting in some ground and pound. Elliot rolled with about 2 minutes left and Johnson ended up in half guard while he broke down the body with right hands to Elliot’s mid section. In a final ditch effort the Missouri native went for a kimura of his own and Johnson countered with an arm bar, which Elliot defended before ending up on his back again. Johnson rode out the final seconds in the final round looking for one last kimura attempt but the match ended before he could get the ‎finish he wanted.

 

Once the dust settled the judges had it a unanimous decision for Demetrious Johnson as he continues to reign as the only UFC flyweight champion in the company’s history and writes another chapter in his amazing career ‎with his 9th successful consecutive title defense.

 

Tim Elliot told media after the TUF 24 Finale at the post-fight press conference that Dana White told him he “wasn’t going anywhere” which signifies that fans will see Elliot do battle in the Octagon once again. He did emphasize however that the weight cut was too much for him and that a future at 135-pounds would be ideal.

 

 

BENAVIDEZ INCHES CLOSER TO UFC TITLE BOUT THANKS TO SPLIT VERDICT OVER CEJUDO

 

In the co-main event, one-time UFC flyweight title challenger, Henry Cejudo, and 2-time UFC flyweight challenger, Joseph Benavidez met in a battle for the next challenger to Johnson’s title.

 

Cejudo started strong landing the more crisp strikes in the first minute sending Benavidez to the canvas, potentially hurt early.  The one-time WEC bantamweight title challenger recovered but was temporarily fighting at a lesser than normal pace. What really changed the momentum was TUF 24 head coach hitting his opposing head coach with a low blow and being warned. With almost 3 minutes left the second low blow took place and having been previously warned by the referee, Cejudo was deducted a point. The action resumed and the two men continued exchanging but the former gold medalist had dug a hole for himself already.

 

Going into Round 2 Cejudo’s left hooks had busted up Benavidez’ nose as well as had his right eye partially swollen. Rather than be first like he normally has been when engaging in previous matches, ‘Joey B’ was trying to counter his foe’s punches and by the last 2 minutes was wide with the shots but still hitting his man since Cejudo pulled away from the pocket with his head straight up in the air, rarely taking it off of the center line.  Benavidez’ output though had drastically lowered and he was either following his man along the cage or answering Cejudo’s own output with sloppy counters by the second half of the round instead of being first. Benavidez was tagged with left hooks and knees as well as power leg kicks along the way but never took his foot completely off the gas and new to string together some punch-kick combos when needed. The Team Alpha Male associate was also bleeding out of his mouth ‎as Round 2 closed backing up as the seconds ticked away yet managed to make Cejudo miss in the final moments using some nice footwork.

 

Heading into Round 3 Cejudo was the one on the hunt probably realizing that he needed to close the show therefore he marched forward landing body kicks, counter right hands on the inside and lighting up Benavidez with his double left hook. In the last 2 minutes or so of the final round Benavidez stepped up the pace and used angles to set up his punches, landing some lead leg kicks first before coming back upstairs with his loopy right hook. Cejudo would get caught coming in and then answer with a wide right or looping left hand missing wildly since Benavidez had already ducked or slipped masterfully. Even his lead right upper cut landed in the final 30 seconds to which Cejudo answered with pressure and more pressure but nothing in the neighborhood of a knock down or take down.

 

Once the judges score cards were read it was a split decision favoring Joseph Benavidez with scores of 30-26 and 29-27 with one judge having it 29-27 for Henry Cejudo. ‎The former 2008 Olympic gold medalist in wrestling finds himself on back-to-back losses but can be confident that fans will surely want to see him in the Octagon again after a high-octane and exciting performance like that one.

 

 

MASVIDAL STUBS ELLENBERGER VIA 1ST ROUND TKO

 

Both welterweights took their time looking for an opening after the first minute or so in Round 1 then they let their hands go in a blistering firefight. Ellenberger launching big punches via winging hooks and power uppercuts at the very game former Strikeforce 155lbs title challenger. Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal landed the more telling blows catching his man with a left hook to the body after some lightning quick punches which forced Jake ‘The Juggernaut’ Ellenberger to stumble backwards along the cage wall visibly hurt. Masvidal then unloaded everything but the kitchen sink on his foe in the form of jabs, 1-2s and hooks to the body. The Cuban’s boxing was on point as he hurt his man with a left hook to the body, then a right hand and followed up with 2 left hooks that had Ellenberger covering up along the cage wall with referee Herb Dean stepping in the pulling back at the last second as Jake hung on in one last ditch effort to survive the onslaught.

 

Masvidal landed a spinning head kick followed by a left leg kick to the body, which Jake caught and used to throw some punches of his own pushing his foe backwards trying for a take down. As this happened Jake turned up his offensive output and pressed forward with a leaping knee. However, after he landed he slipped and his left foot wound up at a weird angle close to the end of the canvas and got caught under the fence where the wire meets the tarp. Masvidal followed up with some hooks as referee Herb Dean called time out as well as a stop to the fight. After some confusion the decision seemed to be made that since Ellenberger was sitting on the canvas, not defending himself as Masvidal followed up with 2 or 3 unanswered left hooks to his opponent’s head the fight was ended on a TKO officially at (4:05) ‎of Round 1.

 

 

CANNONIER DECISIONS ‘THE HULK’ CUTELABA IN BACK AND FORTH BATTLE

 

Light heavyweight monsters ‎locked horns when Jared Cannonier and Ion Cutelaba met in the Octagon for their 3-round contest. Both men came forward leading with power shots, heavy hooks and clubbing over hand shots for the first few minutes of the match. In the final 60 seconds Jared got his under hooks in and tried throwing his man to the canvas but Cutelaba reversed and Judo threw him to the mat close the to cage wall and then stepped over into full mount. Jared managed to get back to his feet and crack his man with a good hook just before the round came to an end finishing strong.

 

Going into Round 2 both men came forward behind big left hooks and rights. Jared threw a lazy right low kick that Cutelaba used to drop down, grab, shoot in and take him to the mat with. The action returned on the feet shortly thereafter ‎but Jared returned the favor and dragged his man to the mat via a body lock. Now Cutelaba managed to get the battle upright wrestling his way back to the feet as they continued to trade bombs but now after 2 minutes Jared was landing the cleaner, heavier blows. Cutelaba alertly shot in on his foe to slow down his momentum but, Jared sprawled and they kept trading take down attempts for the next few moments until Jared finally brought his man to the mat and fought out of half guard. Cutelaba scrambled to not let him pass, trapping his man’s leg or tying him up with a body lock before Round 2 came to an end but Jared snuck in some ground and pound before it did.

 

Going into Round 3 both warriors looked visibly tired and in the first minute Culetaba shot from across the cage and remarkably landed a take down on his foe. Jared managed to get up since he didn’t have the strength to keep him there and the two 205ers indirectly agreed to trade wide and heavy hooks for the next two minutes or so. Jared pushed forward as Culetaba tried to counter and came up just shy while Jared landed his thudding left hook repeatedly to bust open his man’s left cheek. At this point he was in the zone, Jared stole the show and the crowd by walking towards his man with his hands at his waist daring Culetaba to hit him. The crowd lost it’s mind and cheered very loudly as he slipped and ducked punches in his best Anderson Silva impersonation via sleek upper body movement. He closed with style points landing a few hooks and some lead straights and a couple of jabs to cement the final round as his own.

 

The official scores saw it 29-28 for Jared ‎’The Killa Gorilla’ Cannonier all across the board as he defeats Cutelaba via unanimous decision.

 

 

MCMANN STOPS DAVIS IN 2 ROUNDS VIA HEAD AND ARM TRIANGLE CHOKE

 

Former UFC 135lbs title contenders collided tonight for the second in a pair of women’s matches on the TUF 24 Finale card. For the first minute and a half both women exchanged heavy leather at close quarters, popping each other with 1-2s and hard jabs as well as vicious crosses in the center of the Octagon. Neither woman let up on the approach and their conditioning enabled them to keep up a very-crowd pleasing pace for the start of Round 1. By the halfway mark Sara McMann switched levels during an exchange and drove her foe to the canvas, able to work out of Alexis Davis’ guard for the next couple of minutes. In the last roughly 70 seconds she was able to scoot her hips back and work out of half guard, temporarily getting a triangle choke on McMann in the final moments of the match that had her foe in all kinds of trouble but the crafty former Olympian stayed composed, ate some hard Davis elbows to the head but finished the round out.

 

‎Going into the 2nd Round Davis put it into 5th gear, marching forward with some heavy strikes but McMann closed the distance and used the clinch then a perfectly timed Judo throw to toss Davis quickly unto the mat. McMann instantly moved to half guard and looked to pass and mount while Davis worked off of her back trying to sweep or buck her hips to escape. Just past the halfway point of Round 2 McMann trapped her in a slick head and arm choke that Davis defended for a few seconds before McMann was able to free her right leg out from Davis’ half guard and step over to apply allot more pressure. Seconds later with her left arm trapped and McMann powering through with all her weight and Davis having no room to move since the submission took place in the center of the Octagon, the Canadian fighter had no choice but to tap.

 

The submission finish for Sara McMann over Alexis Davis came at ‎(2:52) of Round 2 as she continues climbing the ladder back to the top of the mountain calling for the winner of the UFC 207 headliner this month featuring Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey for Nunes’ UFC 135-pound belt during her post-fight interview.

 

 

 

MORENO KEEPS WINNING IN HIS CAREER ‎POST HIS TUF SEASON 24 RUN

 

Brandon ‘The Assassin Baby’ Moreno defeated Ryan Benoit tonight via split decision getting scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28. Benoit has always been known as the aggressor and head hunter in most of his battles but his style was no match for the proud Mexican warrior who smiled when hit clean and eager to return fire on the double if not hit a take down or two before getting his man along the cage wall and keeping him there preventing Benoit from getting his offense going.

 

Moreno controlled the pace, tempo and momentum of the fight ‎and whether at close range or at his preferred distance, he landed clean and maintained the same hectic, fiery pace that had fans fall in love with his fighting style and charming personality when he was the first fight of The Ultimate Fighter’s 24th season. Regardless of the tough decision loss he took on the show he is proving that he is making the most of his opportunity as a full-time UFC combatant.