UFC On FOX 8 Completes Main Card, UFC Flyweight Title On The Line In Main Event

Four fights have been confirmed for July’s UFC event on FOX, and they are the expected ones.

In the main event of UFC on FOX 8, Demetrious Johnson will defend his UFC flyweight title against John Moraga. The card takes place July 27 from the KeyArena in Seattle.

Johnson and Moraga were originally scheduled for earlier this year, but “Mighty Mouse” suffered an injury and was forced to the sidelines.

The other three FOX-televised fights feature Jake Ellenberger-Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler-Tarec Saffiedine and Liz Carmouche-Miesha Tate.

Prelim bouts will air on FX and Facebook.

MAIN CARD (FOX)

UFC Flyweight Championship
Demetrious Johnson (c) vs. John Moraga

Welterweight: Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald

Welterweight: Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine

Women’s Bantamweight: Liz Carmouche vs. Miesha Tate

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)

Lightweight: Melvin Guillard vs. Mac Danzig

Lightweight: Danny Castillo vs. Bobby Green

Women’s Bantamweight: Julie Kedzie vs. Germaine de Randamie

Lightweight: Michael Chiesa vs. Reza Madadi

Lightweight: Spencer Fisher vs. Yves Edwards

Heavyweight: Matt Mitrione vs. Brendan Schaub

Middleweight: Ed Herman vs. Trevor Smith

Lightweight: Aaron Riley vs. Justin Salas

 

UFC On FOX 8 Receives Demetrious Johnson-John Moraga, Miesha Tate-Liz Carmouche

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has received his return date, as “Mighty Mouse” will face John Moraga at UFC on FOX 8.

UFC officials confirmed the championship match for the July 27 card from Seattle. The main card airs on FOX, while the prelims are likely to be televised on FX and Facebook.

Also, a female bantamweight bout between Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche was made official, as well.

Johnson and Moraga were set to square off earlier this month before the champion went down with an injury. The UFC decided to wait and re-book the contest instead of pairing Moraga with someone else in the meantime.

 

Demetrious Johnson Targets June For Return From Torn Labrum

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson recently underwent surgery for a torn labrum that knocked him out of a planned title defense with John Moraga.

Johnson, who will be sidelined for up to 12 weeks, believes he will be fighting again in June – at least that’s his hope.

“If things go well, I’m going to push for June 15,” said Johnson, during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour. “You only get one body.”

Johnson, who has fought a number of times in the last two years on his way to claiming and defending the UFC 125-pound title, stated he wants to “have a full training camp going into a championship fight,” and that was his decision to pull out of the Moraga contest.

Photo credit: Tracy Lee/CombatLifestyle.com

 

Demetrious Johnson Forced Out OF TUF 17 Finale With Torn Labrum

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson suffered a torn labrum, forcing his removal from a planned title match with John Moraga in April.

Johnson’s coach, Matt Hume, confirmed the injury during an appearance on Inside MMA Friday night.

“Mighty Mouse” became the first-ever UFC flyweight champ when he defeated Joseph Benavidez last year. He successfully defended his title against John Dodson in January.

The card will now feature a main event between Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen.

Photo credit: Tracy Lee/CombatLifestyle.com

 

Update: Demetrious Johnson Vs. John Moraga Called Off Due To Injury

The Nevada Athletic Commission informed MMAjunkie.com on Tuesday that a planned UFC flyweight title match between Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga is in danger of being removed from The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the commission, declined to give any specifics regarding the reason behind the fight being pulled. UFC officials, Johnson and Moraga have also yet to comment on the matter.

The bout is expected to headline the April 13 card from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Johnson (17-2-1) defeated John Dodson last month, while Moraga (12-1) earned his second UFC win by besting Chris Cariaso at UFC 155.

UPDATE: On UFC Tonight Tuesday, UFC officials confirmed that Johnson has suffered an injury and will not be able to face Moraga. They are currently working on securing a new main event for the card.

 

Demetrious Johnson-John Moraga Set For TUF 17 Finale For UFC Flyweight Title

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will face John Moraga this coming April, as UFC officials have confirmed the two will meet at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

Johnson (17-2-1) improved to 5-1-1 in his UFC career with a recent win over John Dodson in the main event of a card on FOX. He won the belt in late 2012 in a tournament finale with Joseph Benavidez.

Moraga (12-1) is on a seven-fight win streak, including two wins over Ulysses Gomez and Chris Cariaso since joining the promotion.

Heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga and Travis Browne were also announced earlier in the day for the event.

 

John Dodson Is Happy Following Loss, Plans To Use Loss To His Advantage

The ever classy John Dodson gives praise to Demetrious Johnson after he lost a close unanimous decision on Saturday.

 

John Dodson Unfazed by Illegal Knee From Demetrious Johnson At UFC On Fox 6

John Dodson’s first UFC loss also kept him from winning the UFC flyweight title, as Demetrious Johnson successfully defended the belt this past Saturday at UFC on Fox 6.

However, had an illegal knee that Johnson landed been ruled as a point deduction, the fight would have ended in a majority draw.

Dodson, a former winner on The Ultimate Fighter, didn’t seem overly concerned with the illegal strike following the match. The two flyweights were awarded “Fight of the Night” honors for their thrilling 25-minute war.

“I was playing that game – I was trying to make sure that I didn’t get kneed in the face and I got kneed,” said Dodson, during the post-fight show on Fuel TV. “It’s okay. I don’t mind that it happened because we were changing levels so quickly. It’s okay. I’m fine with it.”

Dodson had defeated T.J. Dillashaw, Tim Elliott and Jussier Formiga to earn the shot at Johnson, but was unable to finish “Mighty Mouse” despite knocking him down several times early in the fight. The illegal knee came in the fourth round, and Johnson continued to dominate the fight from there on until the final whistle sounded.

 

Dana White Sums Up UFC On Fox 6

White apparently feels that last night’s main event was a controversial decision. I disagree; I had it scored 49-46, so even if the point for the illegal knee point was taken away, I still have Johnson winning. Dana also doesn’t rule out the possibility of an immediate rematch for Dodson.

 

Demetrious Johnson’s UFC On Fox 6 Victory Falls Under Cloud Of Controversy

When the scorecards were read following the Demetrious Johnson-John Dodson UFC flyweight championship match Saturday night at UFC on Fox 6, they came with a hint of controversy.

Johnson, who picked up two victories by just one-point on the cards, was admonished during the fourth round for an illegal knee strike to Dodson. Had “Mighty Mouse” been deducted a point, it would have left a majority draw between the two fighters.

Some of pondered if the point deduction should have happened, including UFC president Dana White, who stated his opinion on the post-fight show on Fuel TV.

“I do think the point should have been taken away,” White stated. “It was an illegal knee and it caused damage. There should have been a point taken away. But I hate that rule. The reason it’s there, it’s for soccer kicks when guys are down on the ground. But I don’t like it when guys put their hand down to protect them from it. It was an awesome fight, a close fight and a controversial fight.”

Referee John McCarthy brought in the cageside doctor to examine Dodson, and made sure to keep Johnson from delivering another illegal knee by shouting out when Dodson had his hand on the canvas later in the round.

White let it be known that he felt as if Dodson won the first three rounds, but was planning to re-watch the fight and further score it.