UFC 186 last night saw flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson turn in another virtuoso performance as he thoroughly dominated and then finished challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. Though Johnson was a huge favorite to win at the sport books, Horiguchi (15-1) was being given a chance because of his strong fists.
But from the outset, Johnson would flash the full gamut of techniques including incredible striking, great takedowns, efficient ground and pound and he closed it all out by delivering the finish with one second to go in the bout.
If Johnson is not the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, then they should just do away with the term.
The co-main event saw Quinton Jackson slug it out with Fabio Maldonado of Brazil for three rounds. For Jackson, it was good to notch a win after this bout was on then it was off because of Bellator’s injunction. Maldonado played the role of punching bag, something he is used to doing.
Veterans CB Dolloway and Michael Bisping engaged in a back-and-forth battle that saw Dolloway take the opening round, at one point dropping Bisping with a punch, but Bisping would stay with it and pick up the intensity in the final two rounds.
On the women’s side, Alexis Davis defeated Sara Kaufman by arm bar in a match that adds to the confusion in the women’s divisions. Both women were mauled by champion Ronda Rousey, however Kaufman’s loss to Rousey came for the Strikeforce promotion a long time ago, and her 17-2 overall record could have made her a candidate for a title shot. Despite the win, Davis’ prior fight was a loss to Rousey where she lasted 16 seconds, so one win here against Kaufman is not enough for her to earn a rematch.
Thomas Almeida of Brazil made short work of veteran Yves Jabouin as he knocked him out about four minutes into the first round, and that earned him a performance bonus and another spot on the main card. Almeida’s record is a now a perfect 18-0 and he is 2-0 in the UFC, so he has adapted well to the big show.
