By DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST
Mighty Mouse is likely to rematch John Dodson next for the UFC Flyweight Title; do you think that fight plays out any differently a year and a half later given improvements made by both men? Why or why not? Is there anyone other than Dodson at Flyweight you see posing a challenge to the Champ?
It wasn’t that long ago we all thought Joseph Benavidez was the only person capable of taking the belt from Demetrious Johnson. That opinion turned in favour of John Dodson eighteen months ago when he gave Johnson his toughest test to date. It was further confirmed last December when Johnson annihilated Benavidez in the first round of their rematch for the title.
Of those currently in the weight class, Dodson alone poses a credible threat to the champion. I still have reservations about his conditioning in the latter rounds of a championship fight, but if he can overcome that he’s got as good a chance as anyone. There’s no way I would bet against Mighty Mouse, though; he’s improved considerably over the last eighteen months, more than anyone else in the division.
TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR
Ali Bagautinov put up a brave fight, though just isn’t in the same class as Johnson, and it proved on Saturday night. This for me was always going to be a one sided fight unless something outrageous happened. What was most apparent, apart from the predictable outcome, was the lack of fans who stayed to the end of the fight. The arena seemed empty at the final buzzer with only Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg left!
Johnson has a real problem selling himself as the Flyweight champion. Fans just aren’t buying into him; on the other hand, I feel John Dodson can carry the can for the flyweight division and take it onto the next level. I can’t wait for the rematch, I feel Dodson has learnt so much since the first fight, and is the only fighter in the division who can match Johnson’s speed and stamina, and posseses real knockout power.
Though both fighters have improved since their first fight, I’m not sure much will be different come fight night. That said, I’m still expecting Dodson to be the first fighter to knock Johnson out.
Outside of Dodson, they can all form an orderly queue and will be totally dominated by Johnson.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Dodson is going to knock Johnson out. He almost had him in their first fight, but he hesitated and lost his chance. This time, I think he goes in there and gets the win. I think the power and speed of Dodson will be what gets him the victory, and it should be a very exciting fight. I think there’s always a chance that someone else in the division can dethrone Johnson, but it would be considered a big upset. I don’t think Dodson beating Johnson would be a big upset; it would be a mild upset at best.
CASH NORMAN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I absolutely think it will play out differently than their first encounter given their improvements. I believe that Mighty Mouse will have a more dominant performance over John Dodson than before. If you look at the improvements Mighty Mouse has made, it has been in each area of mixed martial arts; he is not only better at them but more fluid in transitioning between each of them. His footwork is more fluid, his transition from boxing to wrestling, from wrestling to muay thai, and muay thai to grappling is spectacular.
We might have seen a little better movement and footwork from John Dodson, but basically a slightly more mobile version of the same old thing. Plus, for nearly an entire round, Dodson was frozen looking for the check hook by Moraga; an entire round. Dodson will be eaten alive if he waits an entire round to attempt to wait for the multi faceted mixed martial arts attack of Mighty Mouse.
Unfortunately for the flyweight division, the champion is head and shoulders above all of his competitors. If the UFC is not already scouring the world trying to find competition for Mighty Mouse they need to do so immediately, as I believe he is about to start making his opponents look silly.