Magical Timing

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Fate can be a fickle entity. One minute, you are immersed in the daily minutiae of a 9-to-5 existence; the next, a chance meeting alters the trajectory of your life so dramatically that you have no idea how you were on your original path in the first place.

Not everyone can be so fortunate to have such an event take place. Then again, not everyone is as exceptionally talented as John Dodson.

Before he was known as “The Magician” or as “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner, Dodson wanted to design video games. A full college course load with a focus on computer engineering was going to get him there.

“I just wanted to get into school and get out and start being an adult,” Dodson told Sherdog.com.

It is somewhat ironic then that Dodson found his true calling while working at Chuck E. Cheese, an establishment with a decidedly un-adult motto: “Where a kid can be a kid.” That a birthday party happened approximately nine years ago at a place known for pizza, a giant rodent mascot and the usual bells and whistles that attract the 10-and-under crowd is not especially unique. That it was the fourth birthday celebration for the son of Greg Jackson-trained black belt Chris Luttrell was much more significant.

Dodson, a New Mexico state champion wrestler at Moriarty High School, was working that day and immediately took note of Luttrell’s cauliflower ear -- a badge of honor forged through years of wrestling and mixed martial arts competition. While not necessarily familiar with the athletic achievements of his new acquaintance, Luttrell was impressed with Dodson’s sunny demeanor.

It was a sign of good things to come, Luttrell would later realize.

“We show up with a whole party of 4-year-olds, and he’s our host,” he said. “He was just the nicest kid; he had a huge smile and a great attitude, and both of those have carried over into his fighting career. Attitude is about 90 percent of fighting.”

With an enthusiastic gang of 4-year-olds as a backdrop, Luttrell and Dodson talked shop, and the latter was quickly captivated as he learned about the growing sport. Before he left, Luttrell invited Dodson to train at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts. It did not take long for the diminutive Chuck E. Cheese employee to accept the offer.

“I remember going back [to Jackson’s] and discussing it, saying, ‘Hey, Greg, I met a kid and he seems real interested,’” Luttrell recalled. “I walked in, and [Dodson] was there. I went back later that night, and he was there. He just blossomed.”

In hindsight, it is not surprising Dodson has advanced to where he stands now, a budding star making his return to the flyweight division against the surging Timothy Elliott as part of the UFC on Fox 3 “Miller vs. Diaz” show on Saturday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. As an eighth-grader, a 5-foot Dodson dunked a basketball for the first time; today, the 27-year-old claims his vertical leap is a staggering 44 inches. In addition to his exploits on the mat as a prep athlete, Dodson also excelled in football -- where he earned sacks by diving under the center’s legs as an undersized nose tackle -- and track and field.

He quickly became comfortable in the MMA arena, as well. In just his second professional fight, Dodson squared off with the highly regarded Yasuhiro Urushitani in Tokyo. Despite an 11-fight gap in experience, a then 20-year-old “Magician” held his own against his veteran opponent, losing a unanimous decision but gaining valuable confidence in the process.

“He actually said he didn’t think I was his opponent because he said I was too big for him, and I thought that was funny,” Dodson said. “We went the distance, and I thought I should have won. I took him down, I beat him up, ground-and-pounded him. I also dropped him. It doesn’t really matter what I think about it. It’s OK to say that I lost. It told me that I could hang with anybody in the world.”

From his spot at ringside, Luttrell felt he had witnessed a coming of age.

“[Urushitani] hit him with the hardest shots possible, and John kind of slides back and he’s smiling,” Luttrell said. “There’s a defining moment as coach when you know you’ve got somebody special. The kid threw and attempted every submission and hit John with the very best he had. Here John is and he’s green; he just took it like a pro. I remember coming back and just bragging to Greg.”

Over the next six years, Dodson fashioned a solid career that saw him become one of the top flyweights in the world. When 125-pound fights were not available -- and, stateside, they often were not -- he would simply shrug it off and fight at bantamweight or featherweight. Today, Dodson says he walks around at about 162 pounds before cutting weight, giving him a size and strength edge against most of his opposition.

While Dodson experienced success on the regional circuit and established a following among diehard fans, the spotlight still eluded him. The UFC did not add 135- and 145-pound divisions until 2011, while the flyweight division did not officially become a reality within the Las Vegas-based promotion until early 2012. Dodson’s first chance at the limelight arrived in late 2011, when Season 14 of “The Ultimate Fighter” introduced the world to a new batch of lighter weight fighters. Dodson would compete as a bantamweight on the show.

With only a 5-5 career record in bouts that had gone the distance, including two split decision setbacks, Dodson entered the competition with a philosophy hell-bent on finishing. The approach paid dividends, as he stopped Brandon Merkt and Johnny Bedford via strikes on the taped portion of the program before demolishing Team Alpha Male’s T.J. Dillashaw in 1:54 at “The Ultimate Fighter 14” Finale. Of Dodson’s four reality show opponents, only John Albert avoided a devastating knockout loss.

Even though he had an explosive run as a bantamweight, it was an easy decision for Dodson to return to flyweight once it became an option in the UFC.

“It was a no-brainer because of the whole fact that I’ve been hyping it up the whole time I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I told everybody that flyweight is where the real fights need to be at and who had the most talent,” he said. “I thought I proved it on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show and also with them doing the flyweight tournament. They saw how impressive we were, that we still have the knockout power, that we have the technique, we have the finesse and we also have the speed that no one can actually match.”

The four-man flyweight bracket kicked off on March 2 in Sydney, Australia, and included Joseph Benavidez, Ian McCall, Demetrious Johnson and Dodson’s old nemesis, Urushitani, who was the only man to be officially eliminated from the tournament that night -- McCall and Johnson fought to a draw. Eventually Benavidez, McCall or Johnson will become the UFC’s first flyweight king. Dodson does not feel slighted by his exclusion from the tournament, but he believes it is only a matter of time before the 125-pound belt is wrapped around his waist.

“I understand why I wasn’t a part of [the tournament]. They wanted to get some guys who were well-known and also some of the guys that were the high-ranking 125ers,” Dodson said. “The way I see it, they just have someone warming the belt for me until the UFC wants me to take it from them.”

Dodson knows he will have to be on his game against Elliott, who was a late replacement for the injured Darren Uyenoyama. The Edmond, Okla., native has won eight straight fights, including stoppage victories over former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver and well-traveled veteran Josh Rave.

Dodson’s fight will not be part of the main card, but he plans on being noticed nonetheless, preferably in the form of yet another breathtaking knockout.

“It’s still important for me to entertain, but, at the same time, being on the undercard I have to make sure that it’s a highlight fight. That’s one where people see me. I have to make sure I can get onto those bigger stages just to do all those things,” he said. “Before I can get there, I have to show the world why I have to be there.”

If there are those who still doubt Dodson belongs in the spotlight, their numbers are dwindling. These days, it is hard to imagine him sitting quietly at a desk and living the docile life of a cubicle dweller.

“Technology is so advanced from when I was thinking about [designing video games],” Dodson said. “If I tried to do it now, I would have to go back to the books to make sure I would be up to date with everything.”

Instead, it is more likely the New Mexico native will pull off a real-life video game maneuver on an unsuspecting opponent in the Octagon.

“You can shoot in for a takedown and John will do a back flip over you,” Luttrell said. “He’s just so very athletic that he will keep you off balance. He’s got very fast feet, he’s always creating angles and he just puts the bad guy in peril at every turn.”

In that sense, Dodson and technology are kindred spirits, both constantly moving and evolving, forcing everyone else to try and match their pace.

Continue » Pictures: John Dodson Trains for Tim Elliott