November 23, 2024

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON TIES ANDERSON SILVA’S UFC TITLE DEFENSE RECORD

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson came into his flyweight title defense at UFC “Fight Night Kansas City” wanting to stop challenger Wilson Reis and make UFC history.

After beating Reis up from the opening bell and submitting him via arm bar at 4:49 in the third round, Johnson did exactly what he wanted to do. With the victory, Johnson has now won 12 consecutive fights but more importantly, this is his 10th UFC flyweight title defense which ties Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

The spectacular historical victory had the usual calm and reserved Johnson more keyed up than usual after the fight.

“GSP, Anderson, they’re great champions, but I’m the best champion that ever stepped in this Octagon,” said Johnson. “I finish all of my opponents. There’s not another champion who can mix it up, wrestle, strike and clinch like I do.”

Johnson got the win by out striking and softening up Reis while staying on the outside of harm’s way first. Then the champion took him down and grounded and pounded on him some more before getting a slick submission on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

By transitioning from a full-mount into an arm-bar submission faster than anybody in the UFC to close the show, “Mighty Mouse” showcased why he is considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world today.

“It was a damn good night,” Johnson said during the post-fight Octagon interview. “This probably the best training camp I’ve ever had and my head coach kept telling me, ‘You just be you.’ I went back and did a lot of things different this camp, and it’s the best I’ve effort felt.”

Even with people like UFC president Dana White calling him the “GOAT” of the UFC by putting his name right up there with Silva who reigned over the middleweight division and pound-for-pound ranking from 2006-2013. Johnson is still focused on taking his division and legacy to heights not seen before in MMA.

“I’m just like any champion, no matter if it’s team sports like the Michael Jordan Bulls or something like the UFC, you want to win as many championships as possible,” Johnson said at the post-fight press conference. “I got 10 title defenses now and get to take this belt home and hopefully next time out I can break and I might go for 13 or 14 so why not set the bar high. Like Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the land, I’m the fastest man in mixed martial arts so I’m going to keep on proving that and hopefully set the record to like 15 and then I can retire.”

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