UFC fans are in for a treat on Saturday night in Las Vegas when UFC 191 kicks off in the desert. The card starts off with the beautiful Paige VanZant taking on Australia's Alex Chambers and ends with the main event, a rematch of one of the greatest flyweight fights in UFC history.
The first time they met was in January of 2013. Back then, flyweight title fights were free, and you didn't have to pay exorbitant Pay Per View fees to watch good fights. The title fight was between John Dodson and Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, standing at just under 5-foot, 3-inches tall, but with a motor like the energizer bunny.
At the time, Dodson was coming off a successful stint on the popular television show The Ultimate Fighter, which he won in convincing fashion. Johnson was the underdog, but trust us when we say this dog had a lot of bite. Dodson knocked down Johnson early in the fight, but Johnson recovered, winning the close fight 48-47, 49-46, 48-47 in an unanimous decision.
Johnson vows he will win the rematch, believing his fitness and endurance was to blame in the first fight. He claims those issues are resolved, and that he is out to "kill" Johnson in this fight.
"That's him trying to be a mental midget and boost himself up," Johnson said. "He's just trying to ruffle my feathers."
However, Johnson has learned from that first fight as well. He knows that Dodson has the power to end the fight with one punch, and he is reluctant to give Dodson those same opportunities this time around.
"He took advantage of me overextending. That's the only thing he had going for him for 15 seconds of 25 minutes," Johnson said. "He did a good job of capitalizing on me overextending, but I won't let that happen this time. My style is to go in there and use my skillset and go out there and fight and see what happens."
Dodson believes that those early knock downs in the first fight are still inside Johnson's head, and give him a mental advantage in this fight. Johnson knows that Dodson is strong and packs a punch, but he's not worried about getting hit if that's what it comes down to.
"He tends to go about things the same way, he looks for you to overextend and he tries to knock you out," said Johnson of Dodson. "He can punch, he has a whopper on him, but I took his best shots."
Johnson appears to be the superior fighter, whereas Dodson one could argue is the superior puncher. If Dodson has worked on his fitness and is able to maintain his style for the full 25 minutes of the fight, this could be one of the better championship fights we will see in UFC history, but that is a big if. Otherwise, Johnson could dominant this fight over five rounds and win another unanimous decision.
Dodson will likely go for the early knockout, looking to win the fight with one punch. However, Johnson knows he can take that punch and will rely on his speed, endurance and counter punching to wear Dodson down throughout the five rounds.
Dodson has said all week that he is the "cure for the Demetrious Johnson problem," insinuating that there are not a lot of challengers in the flyweight division to strip Johnson of his title. At one point, Dodson is good enough to become a title holder, we just don't think it will be Saturday night.
Prediction: Johnson wins by unanimous decision.
Betting Favorite: Demetrious Johnson -600
The fight starts at 10:00PM EST from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It can be seen live on PPV, and the Undercard fights are available on Fox Sports 1. The fight can be seen on UFC.TV starting at 10:00PM EST and on YouTube as well.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
