Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson is one of the finest pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and he will put his UFC Flyweight Championship on the line when he steps into the cage against Henry Cejudo Saturday night.
Johnson (23-2-1) will attempt to defend his title for the eighth time. He is one of the most skilled fighters in MMA, but it's doubtful he will do anything to enhance his reputation against Cejudo (10-0-0), who does not have the experience level of some of the top fighters in the business.
Johnson is a minus-400 favorite in the fight while Cejudo is plus-300, according to Odds Shark.
It's difficult to see an area where Cejudo will have an edge on Johnson. Cejudo is a strong boxer, but he does not have an advantage over Johnson in that area. Johnson has power in both hands and could knock out his opponent with either hand.
Johnson has improved his striking since 2013. He knocked out Joseph Benavidez that year, and that's when his reputation for finishing an opponent on his feet began to grow. Cejudo has fine striking ability as well, but it does not seem likely that he could gain an edge on Johnson in this area.
| Category | Johnson | Cejudo |
| Height | 5'3" | 5'4" |
| Weight | 125 pounds | 125 pounds |
| Reach | 66 inches | 64 inches |
| Age | 29 | 29 |
| Strikes Landed Per Minute | 3.46 | 3.78 |
| Striking Accuracy | 52 percent | 46 percent |
| Strikes Absorbed Per Minute | 1.81 | 2.00 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 53 percent | 33 percent |
| Takedown Defense | 65 percent | 100 percent |
FightMetric.com
When it comes to grappling, it's hard not to appreciate Cejudo's ability. He has won an Olympic gold medal and has the quickness, instincts and know-how to get the job done. But Johnson is also strong in this area and has proved himself in previous bouts. He had 14 takedowns in his April 2015 battle with Kyoji Horiguchi and 12 against John Moraga.
Johnson is dangerous once the fight is on the ground because he is constantly looking for the arm or leg so he can execute a submission move. Cejudo does not appear to have the experience level in this area to compete on even terms, because Johnson knows how to avoid those submission moves as well as execute them when he is on the attack.
Johnson would appear to have more options when he gets together with Cejudo at the MGM Grand on Saturday night. He can win with with his striking, grappling or submission holds and can also meld moves together so that his opponent won't know what's coming next.
That's probably Johnson's biggest advantage over Cejudo, who is the more straight-forward fighter. It's more difficult for him to string moves together.
That comes with experience, and he's likely to gain quite a bit of it when he fights the dangerous Johnson.
Fight stats courtesy of Fight Metric.
