Currently Demetrious Johnson sits atop the UFC’s flyweight division as the only man to wear that belt. His talent, skill, will and work ethic has separated him to the point it makes the rest of the flyweights seem like his back up band.
Johnson’s dominance and lack of a villain to play opposite of him has made him one the least popular UFC champions amongst the fans. Often his boring wins have been cited as well as his nice personality outside of the octagon.
Echoes Of Georges St-Pierre
It reminds me of a few years ago when Georges St-Pierre ruled the welterweights. He too was considered a boring fighter by many hardcore fans but still became one of the UFC’s biggest and most popular stars.
It took St-Pierre a long time to really connect with the fans and he had the advantage of defeating a legend to win the welterweight title. By taking the belt from Matt Hughes his greatness was instantly solidified.
Still, the quiet man from Canada did not immediately become one of the faces of the UFC. It took some time but slowly he built a large and strong fanbase. Even now at two years removed from his last fight he remains one of the more popular people.
Johnson does not have the advantage of defeating a legend for the belt nor did he inherit an already strong division.
It is one of the problems of being the first title holder in your division. For St-Pierre his division already had built-in title-contenders with names. His legitimacy was established immediately with his defeat of Hughes and then maintained it during his run as the division grew stronger under his rule.
Does Size Really Matter
Another reason often cited for Johnson’s lack of popularity his size as the traditionally the smaller weight classes struggle become big stars in combat sports.
All of that is simplistic thinking. If a small dominant champion, with a fighting style that is considered to be unfriendly to the fans, cannot become a star, then explain Floyd Mayweather in boxing. Mayweather is he biggest star in the sport.
The small fighter myth has been disproved many times over the years in boxing.
During the late 70’s and early 80’s Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran ruled that world. Over the years others like Roy Jones Jr. gained popularity as well.
Currently in the UFC, the two biggest stars fight at bantamweight and featherweight the next two weight classes up from Johnson’s flyweight. Both Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor have ascended to the top of the UFC during Johnson’s title run. They have found the popularity that has eluded him to this point.
They have proven that it is not about size. Instead, they are showing that it is about excitement in-and-outside of the octagon.
Here He Comes To Save The Day
Do not look now, but suddenly “Mighty Mouse” is a closer. After starting his title run with two decision he has gone on to finish four of his last five fights. The lone decision was an utter domination of a juiced up Ali Bagautinov. In that fight Johnson landed 97 more significant strikes than Bagautinov.
In the previous two fights Johnson finished Joseph Benavidez via KO and submitted John Moraga. He followed up the UD over Bagautinov with submissions of Chris Cariaso and then Kyoji Horiguchi.
This is an impressive run of finishes by the champion against top competition. Another exciting finish or two could lead to that breakthrough with the fans for him.
While it is tough to predict what fighter,what athlete will hit with the fans one thing that holds true is they respect excellence. With “Mighty Mouse” entering the peak of his prime years there is no reason to think he cannot keep winning. As he starts to accumulate more and more wins the fans will come.
The Flyweights Bright Future For The Division
At the moment Johnson has proven to be a dominant champion since his winning the belt but there some new challengers on the horizon.
One of the more exciting is former Olympic Gold Meadlist Henry Cejudo who is 9-0. Early in his career the talented Cejudo struggled to make the weight failing missing more than he made it. He seems to finally have it figured out.
While not currently ready for Johnson, he has the potential to be that rare challenger that can match him as an athlete.
The one problem facing Cejudo is the fact he is the same age as Johnson and trying to catchup to him. Johnson is also a constantly evolving fighter who is still growing due to his relationship with his coach, MMA genius Matt Hume.
Not only is Johnson a great athlete and fighter but he also always has a great game-plan. What makes him so tough is he and Hume’s ability to adjust and evolve during the fight. Ultimately Cejudo could end up being just another victim of Johnson’s.
Another challenger with one of the brightest futures is Ray Borg, who might have the best chance at dethroning Johnson. What makes Borg so exciting besides his style and the obvious talent, is the fact he is only 21-years-old.
At such a young age Borg is already 2-1 in the UFC. The loss coming in his short-notice debut against top-ranked Dustin Ortiz. Borg followed up that loss with two straight submission wins both of which earned him Performance of the night bonuses.
He takes on another young fighter in Geane Herrera (8-0) who is making his UFC debut this Saturday night at UFC Nashville. Another exciting Borg win and the hype should really start on this young fighter.
If Borg fights Johnson in the next year or two than Johnson will likely win unless Borg makes a massive jump which is possible. What is more likely is losing to Johnson the first time and then winning a rematch.
Another One To Watch
Another young exciting flyweight fighting at UFC Nashville is Willie Gates. At 28-years-old Gates is the same age as Johnson and Cejudo. He also may be their equal as an athlete.
Gates is an exciting athlete and an explosive fighter.
After starting his career 4-3 with three of the wins coming via decision Gates has gone 7-2 with all of the wins coming by finishes and in the first round. Included in that run was his TKO first-round win over Darrell Montague in TUF 21 finale less than one month ago.
If Gates can pull off the upset win over Ortiz in this short notice fight then he could be on the fast track to a title shot. It is no secret that Dana White likes exciting fighters who get finishes and step up to take fights when the UFC calls.
Currently Johnson has a firm grip on the title but the future holds some potential new contenders to challenge him. Up next for him is a rematch with the dangerous John Dodson at UFC 191.
Dodson is one of the few fighters who might be faster than Johnson. One of the aspects that make Dodson so dangerous is that he also has the power to stop anyone if he lands cleanly.
As a young new division it has gotten off to a slow start, but lately Johnson’s finishes, and some of the new exciting talent indicate that both Johnson, and the flyweight division could be poised to breakthrough.
LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 27: UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson smiles during the UFC 178 post fight press conference inside the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino on September 27, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
