UFC on FOX 24's Wilson Reis explains how he's 'going to control' champ Demetrious Johnson

It took an extra pair of wins and a little patience, but Wilson Reis is once again set to face Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship.

Ten months have elapsed since their later-scrapped original UFC 201 encounter was officially announced. But one thing that hasn’t changed is Reis’ confidence in his ability to do what no other 125-pounder has done in the UFC: Take down its first and only champ.

Reis is so confident, in fact, that he is generously willing to share exactly how he intends to get the job done.

“I’m a well rounded fighter,” Reis told MMAjunkie ahead of the UFC on FOX 24 headliner, which takes at place Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. “I’ve evolved a lot in my striking, in my wrestling, and now I’m quite focused on my ground-and-pound in order to be a complete fighter, and to fight well at every area of MMA. But I think the best of my game is the pressure I put on my opponents.

“I’m always looking for the fight and for the finish, I’m always moving forward. And that’s how this fight is going to be. I’m going to dominate the center of the octagon, and I’m going to control Demetrious Johnson. I’m going to make him walk backward. That will be the strategy for the win.”

Reis’ (22-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) confidence, however, is not to be mistaken for disrespect toward Johnson’s (25-2-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) skillset. In fact, the challenger’s admiration toward the champ, ranked No.1 the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA pound-for-pound rankings (as well as the flyweights’), has only grown since they were first supposed to fight.

Reis, currently the No. 5 ranked flyweight, says he still sees openings in Johnson’s game. But while Johnson’s most recent battle – a TUF 24 Finale five-round affair with “The Ultimate Fighter 24” winner Tim Elliot – was certainly not an easy one, it showed aspects of the champ’s game that Reis had been overlooking.

“I believe that Demetrious Johnson is a great fighter,” Reis said. “He is very creative in his striking, in his wrestling, in his movement. He has great footwork. I think there are weak spots in his game, but he’s evolved a lot since. For instance, his last loss, to my training partner (ex-bantamweight champ) Dominick Cruz (in 2011, at UFC Live 6). I think he came a long way, his game is much more well-rounded now.

“In the fight against Tim Elliot, I think he did very well. Elliot surprised in the striking, with a more creative, different style, so (Johnson) had to win using his wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He showed he had that. I think, if I took any lessons from that fight, it was only good things – that he has a more complete jiu-jitsu game. I thought his jiu-jitsu wasn’t that good, but his jiu-jitsu is very good.”

As he prepares to take on one of the most dominant athletes the sport has ever seen, a “happy and motivated” Reis trusts in the training that has sharpened up his own increasingly complete game.

“I’m certainly going to face a well rounded guy, who’s very strong in every area,” Reis said. “And I’m more than ready for that.”

For more on UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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