Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson showed his superb all-around game as he dominated Ali Bagautinov to retain his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight title in the main event of UFC 174 Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver (Sunday in Manila).
Johnson out-worked Bagautinov over the course of five rounds, using his speed to evade the hard-hitting challenger and landing clear strikes, especially at close range when the two were locked up.
All judges scored the bout 50-45, giving "Mighty Mouse" a unanimous decision victory. It was his fourth successful defense of the UFC flyweight belt.
Bagautinov was able to score a takedown in the first round, but it was still Johnson who took the frame as he showed his defensive skills and connected on knees to the body of the challenger.
Johnson was more active in the second round, as he began to unveil his offensive skills. By the third round, Bagautinov was flagging, and Johnson’s remarkable conditioning again showed as he kept on tagging the challenger with a variety of hits.
"I'm the king. I'll stay the king as long as I can," said Johnson, as quoted by MMA Fighting.
It was the first time that Bagautinov had gone five rounds in his career. He earned the title shot by virtue of an 11-fight winning streak, but found that the champion was on a different level.
"It was a great fight. I hit him with shots, a high kick," said Johnson. "He's a tough guy, man. I know how tough he was."
Johnson won his fifth consecutive fight and hiked his record to 20-2-1.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
