Matches to Make After UFC 191
Certain words seem to follow Demetrious Johnson wherever he goes and whenever he fights: flawless, impeccable, incomparable, brilliant, masterpiece. They all fit.
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The statistical dominance was stunning. Johnson out-landed Dodson in the significant-strikes department in all five rounds, according to preliminary FightMetric data. Plus, he threw 78 more and connected on 55 more total strikes across the 25-minute headliner. Over the final three rounds, Johnson found the mark with better than 56 percent of his significant strikes and executed four takedowns. He grew stronger as Dodson faded.
Johnson has made seven consecutive successful title defenses and
now sits just three behind Anderson
Silva’s all-time UFC record. Provided he stays at 125 pounds,
he seems destined to eclipse that mark. Still in his competitive
prime, the 29-year-old Madisonville, Ky., native has never lost as
a flyweight. During his historic reign atop the division, Johnson
has beaten Dodson (twice), Kyoji
Horiguchi, Chris
Cariaso, Ali
Bagautinov, Joseph
Benavidez and John Moraga,
becoming the standard by which all other 125-pound fighters are
measured.
In wake of UFC 191, here are six matchups that ought to be considered:
Related » Video: Dana White on UFC 191
Demetrious Johnson vs. Jussier da Silva-Henry Cejudo winner: Johnson has thus far failed to captivate the masses at the box office, but he has been a fighter without flaws inside the cage. On a nine-fight winning streak that stretches back more than three years, “Mighty Mouse” has laid waste to an entire division and shows no obvious signs of slowing down anytime soon. Johnson has been so dominant at 125 pounds that calls for him to jump to the bantamweight division -- a super fight with champion T.J. Dillashaw or a rematch with Dominick Cruz might await him there -- have grown in frequency and intensity. For now, he seems content to rule over the flyweights. “Formiga” and undefeated Olympic gold medalist Cejudo will lock horns at a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 21 in Monterrey, Mexico.
Andrei Arlovski vs. Stipe Miocic-Ben Rothwell winner: While the victory lacked the pizzazz of his two previous outings against Travis Browne and Antonio Silva, Arlovski did enough to get by fellow former heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the co-main event. The resurgent Belarusian withstood Mir’s persistent advances in the clinch, worked behind a pawing jab and struck effectively from the outside, as he pocketed a unanimous decision. Arlovski has rattled off six straight wins, the last four of them since returning to the UFC in June 2014. Miocic and Rothwell will collide at UFC Fight Night “Poirier vs. Duffy” on Oct. 24 in Dublin.
Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira-Patrick Cummins winner: Johnson rebounded from his submission loss to current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier with a second-round knockout on Jimi Manuwa. Once again, his frightening punching power proved the difference. Johnson floored Manuwa with a right hand and polished off the former Ultimate Challenge MMA titleholder with follow-up ground strikes 28 seconds into round two. “Rumble” has won 10 of his last 11 bouts and remains a serious force in the 205-pound weight class. Teixeira and Cummins will do battle at a UFC Fight Night event on Nov. 7 in Brazil.
Paige VanZant vs. Randa Markos: The UFC can only shield VanZant from serious competition for so long. The 21-year-old Team Alpha Male prospect overwhelmed Alex Chambers with her output -- she threw 248 total strikes in a little more than 11 minutes -- before submitting her with a third-round armbar. VanZant has won all three of her UFC fights in stirring fashion, besting Chambers, Felice Herrig and Kailin Curran. Where exactly she falls in the pecking order within a thin division remains to be seen. Markos, 30, last appeared at UFC 186 on April 25, when she captured a unanimous decision from SBG Ireland’s Aisling Daly at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
John Lineker vs. Bryan Caraway: Lineker had a lot going for him at 125 pounds, but an inability to consistently make weight forced the UFC’s hand and pushed the former Jungle Fight champion to the much deeper bantamweight division. His first outing went according to plan. Lineker engaged Francisco Rivera in a firefight and was the last man standing, as he dropped the World Extreme Cagefighting veteran with a left hook and later submitted him with a guillotine choke in the first round. The 25-year-old Brazilian has won 20 of his past 22 fights. Caraway, who continues to hover around the top 10 at 135 pounds, last competed at UFC on Fox 16 in July, when he claimed a unanimous verdict against Eddie Wineland at the United Center in Chicago.
John Dodson vs. Joseph Benavidez-Ali Bagautinov loser: Now 0-2 against Johnson, Dodson will have to reassess his plans moving forward. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 winner finds himself in the same sort of limbo to which Benavidez has grown accustomed, capable of beating every other flyweight aside from the champion. In two meetings spanning 10 rounds with “Mighty Mouse,” Dodson has met with minimal success, leaving a potential trilogy bout far off in the distance. Benavidez and Bagautinov have been slotted against one another at UFC 192 on Oct. 3.
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