Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s reign as the undisputed king of the UFC’s Lightweight mountain has come to a screeching halt, and it is all because of Henry Cejudo.
The two met for a rematch in the co-main event of UFC 217, which went down in the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The two fought for the first time at UFC 197 back in 2016, and Johnson destroyed his opponent with a first round TKO.
This time, things would go differently, though.
Mighty Mouse opened up with a leg kick. Cejudo stayed in a Lyoto-Machida-style karate stance despite his wrestling background. Something happened to Cejudo’s leg, and he had trouble putting pressure on his foot for about a minute.
Johnson continued to pepper his opponent with low kicks to the legs and midsection. Very little came from the challenger, though. He didn’t want to take any chances against a man who could arguably be considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.
Cejudo threw a head kick, but continued to stay cautious.
Johnson charged in with punches, but didn’t connect with much. Cejudo caught one of Mighty Mouse’s kicks and took him down. Johnson got right back up, but not before eating a punch.
The round ended shortly after.
Mighty Mouse continued to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee in the second round, landing some kicks and moving out of harm’s way.
Cejudo landed two big shots, but Johnson stayed in it. Henry continued to chase his opponent, though, not showing the same caution he showed early in the first round.
Cejudo almost caught another kick, but Mighty Mouse stayed up…this time. Shortly after, Henry took the champion down and held him down. Johnson worked his way up to his knees, but Cejudo held him down for the rest of the round, possibly earning himself the win in the second round.
Johnson decided to do the chasing in Round 3, but Cejudo almost landed another takedown before maneuvering to a front headlock. Henry was certainly showing off his wrestling credentials in this match.
Mighty Mouse came in with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Cejudo returned shortly after with his own one-two. Henry’s coaches screamed that he needed this round.
Cejudo’s leg buckled when Johnson hit him, but Henry almost landed yet another takedown, wrestling Mighty Mouse down from the back. A scramble ensued, and Johnson worked his way out.
Round 3 was anyone’s call.
Cejudo gets the champ down for a moment, but DJ rolls out of it and gets back to his feet! #UFC227 pic.twitter.com/oGaQc6FMjz
— #UFC227 (@ufc) August 5, 2018
Neither fighter looked like he was losing any energy when the championship rounds began. Cejudo’s leg was beat up, but he chased Johnson around like his career depended on it…and it might have.
With a little over two minutes left, Cejudo took Mighty Mouse to the ground and held him down in half guard. DJ, however, didn’t give him much room to land any strikes. In fact, it was Johnson trying to land strikes by kneeing his opponent from the bottom.
Henry tried to pass, but ended up in Johnson’s guard. Still, he had the champion on the ground, and kept him there for the rest of the round.
Round 4 could easily have gone in Cejudo’s favor.
The fight was close in the fifth and final round. It was easily anyone’s fight, and Johnson’s coach Matt Hume urged the champion to take this round.
Both men looked cautious as Cejudo held the center of the cage. Johnson hit Cejudo’s shoulder and went down for a bit. Henry hit him as he got back up.
Two minutes in and Cejudo went for a takedown. He couldn’t get the champion down to the ground, but Henry held on to his back.
Mighty Mouse turned the tables on him, though, but Cejudo landed a trip. Johnson got right back up, but Henry landed some strikes.
WHAT A FIGHT!
Who took it? #UFC227 pic.twitter.com/kEbDHjq2Bh
— #UFC227 (@ufc) August 5, 2018
With under a minute to go, it was anyone’s fight. Cejudo went for another trip and the two came out swinging in the last five seconds.
Cejudo’s dominance in terms of wrestling was enough to impress the majority of judges, though, and he made history as the first man to deprive Demetrious Johnson of the Flyweight crown.
The post UFC 227 RESULTS: Henry Cejudo Topples Demetrious Johnson To Become Second Ever UFC Flyweight Champion appeared first on Jiu-Jitsu Times.