The Imperial Athletics representative fought a brilliant strategic fight against Ferguson and defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 winner by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 3 “Diaz vs. Miller” on Saturday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. All three judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Johnson (11-6, 2-2 UFC).
Johnson set the tone midway through round one, as he momentarily stunned and dropped Ferguson (13-3, 3-1 UFC) with a stiff left hand. It was a harbinger of what was to come. Johnson attacked his foe’s arms, body and legs with blinding kicks and backed them up with one left hand after another, repeatedly snapping back Ferguson’s head. “El Cucuy” never found himself, overwhelmed by Johnson’s speed, aggression and firepower. He entered the cage on a six-fight winning streak and left it with stalled momentum, beaten for the first time under the UFC banner.
Elliott (8-3, 0-1 UFC), a late replacement for Darren Uyenoyama, acquitted himself well in his first Octagon appearance. The aggressor throughout, the 25-year-old Oklahoman threw everything he had at the man they call “The Magician.” Dodson countered effectively, worked his angles and slammed knees into his opponent’s body.
With two rounds seemingly in the bank, Dodson, hampered by the inability to use his most trusted weapon, lost his way in the third. Elliott tagged him repeatedly with power shots, standing up the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative more than once with stiff left hands. Dodson survived. Elliott arrived.
Hathaway (16-1, 6-1 UFC), in his first appearance in more than a year, landed virtually all the strikes of consequence -- including a first-round knee that floored Krauss (10-1, 1-1 UFC) -- and delivered takedowns in rounds two and three. As the match neared its conclusion, Hathaway stepped up his aggression, tagging and bloodying the Roufusport representative with two more knees, a few right hooks and a spinning-back fist.
Before being ensnared, Lineker did some excellent work on the feet, unleashing power punches to the head and body. The shots to Gaudinot’s midsection were particularly devastating. However, the green-haired Gaudinot (6-2, 1-1 UFC) refused to wilt. The Team Tiger Schulmann representative scored with a late takedown in the second round and trapped the Brazilian in the guillotine as he rose to his feet, his neck exposed. Gaudinot wrapped Lineker in full guard and waited for him to black out.
“The second round, he caught me and backed me up a little bit,”
Gaudinot said. “I just wanted to show the fans that the flyweights
belong in the UFC. I catch all my training partners with [the
guillotine]. I love it. I knew it was in. Once I’m under the chin,
they’re done.”
Danny Castillo File Photo
Castillo gave Cholish his first loss.
Castillo delivered the only moments of note with a pair of slam takedowns, one of them at the end of the second round. Cholish (8-2, 1-1 UFC) seemed tentative from the beginning, especially on the feet, and grew more desperate as the fight deepened. In the third round, perhaps sensing his situation was dire, the 28-year-old Renzo Gracie protégé attempted a kneebar, standing guillotine and heel hook. None were successful, and Castillo walked out of the cage with the decision.
Outside of a series of first-round upkicks and the occasional submission attempt, Garza’s offense was virtually non-existent. Bermudez dumped the North Dakotan on his head repeatedly, scoring with eight takedowns in the 15-minute affair. He punctuated his effort with a strong third round, as he moved to mount with a little more than a minute left and fished for the rear-naked choke until time ran out. Garza (11-3, 2-2 UFC) would not cooperate, but victory was already assured.
Delorme (8-1, 2-0 UFC) was in danger for much of the encounter, as his fellow Canadian drilled him with punches, from distance and in close quarters. A late replacement for the injured Johnny Bedford, the 28-year-old found himself on wobbly legs after a succession of rights from Denis, referee Keith Peterson hovering nearby. However, Delorme turned the tide with a pair of left hooks and an inside low kick in the final minute. He scored with a trip takedown, moved immediately to mount and caught Denis in an attempted escape. The choke followed soon after, along with the tapout -- with one second remaining on the clock.
Vemola (9-2, 2-2 UFC) answered a ringing combination from his opponent with a takedown at the start of the second frame, wheeled around to Massenzio’s back and secured the fight-ending choke. No hooks were necessary. Vemola, a 26-year-old Czech Republic import, has now delivered more than half (five) of his nine career wins via rear-naked choke.
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