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You all know the narrative with Demetrious Johnson—he's just too damn talented for his own good.
Johnson is clearing out his sparsely populated division at a a rate which has the UFC struggling to find him challengers. It looked a little desperate when he was fighting Ali Bagautinov. It became more blatant when the UFC had Johnson step in with the thoroughly over matched Chris Cariaso. Tomorrow night, at UFC 186, Johnson steps in with a young man who I think stands an excellent chance of dethroning him a year or two down the line, Kyoji Horiguchi.
The problem is that Horiguchi himself stated after his last win that he would like to take a couple more fights before feeling ready to challenge for the title. When your title challenger knows he probably shouldn't be in there, you're scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The Tao of Johnson
Demetrious Johnson is credited as being one of the best all around fighters in the sport, and it is a well justified opinion. Johnson has picked apart his opposition as thoroughly on the feet, as in the clinch, as on the ground. Characteristic of a Johnson performance is a constant switching of stances and the signature stepping right hook or straight. Once you start seeing it in Johnson's bouts, you will notice that it is almost his go-to. He rarely has success with jabs, or traditional boxing combinations, rather with this quirky shift.
In the clinch, Johnson will work at tremendous pace and throw chopping knees into the midsection, looking for any opportunity to “bust into” the double collar tie, as Matt Hume is often advising him to do from the other side of the fence.
This is as useful on offence as it is on defense, whenever Ali Bagautinov or John Dodson had Johnson's back to the fence he'd be worming his forearms in front of their collar bones, then driving them past him as he stepped off line.
Here Johnson completely reverses position on Ali Bagautinov.
On the ground, Johnson is one of the most active guard passers in mixed martial arts. You will hear Matt Hume shout “now pass” or something similar, and Johnson will immediately hop over his opponent's hooks and straight into side control.
From side control, rather than looking to mount, Johnson will usually continue to land elbows with the arm which is furthest from his opponent's legs, then begin to work for an attack on the opponent's far arm. Often this will involve jamming the wrist into the crook of the elbow, Billy Robinson style, to maneuver the arm into a kimura-able (a word of my own creation) position.
Johnson winkles the arm free and secures the wrist. Notice Johnson's use of his left forearm.
Against Chris Cariaso, the kimura was sufficient. Against John Moraga, Johnson was advised by Hume between rounds to attack with the kimura and then spiral for the armbar as Moraga defended. Late in the fifth round, Johnson did this and secured the tap.
But the portrayal of Johnson as the most perfect fighter in MMA is a short sighted one. There are a fair few areas where I'm sure Johnson himself would admit he could stand to make improvement, and a few of his habits which are downright hazardous.
For starters...
Jack Slack: The Tao of Demetrious Johnson | FIGHTLAND
Johnson is clearing out his sparsely populated division at a a rate which has the UFC struggling to find him challengers. It looked a little desperate when he was fighting Ali Bagautinov. It became more blatant when the UFC had Johnson step in with the thoroughly over matched Chris Cariaso. Tomorrow night, at UFC 186, Johnson steps in with a young man who I think stands an excellent chance of dethroning him a year or two down the line, Kyoji Horiguchi.
The problem is that Horiguchi himself stated after his last win that he would like to take a couple more fights before feeling ready to challenge for the title. When your title challenger knows he probably shouldn't be in there, you're scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The Tao of Johnson
Demetrious Johnson is credited as being one of the best all around fighters in the sport, and it is a well justified opinion. Johnson has picked apart his opposition as thoroughly on the feet, as in the clinch, as on the ground. Characteristic of a Johnson performance is a constant switching of stances and the signature stepping right hook or straight. Once you start seeing it in Johnson's bouts, you will notice that it is almost his go-to. He rarely has success with jabs, or traditional boxing combinations, rather with this quirky shift.
In the clinch, Johnson will work at tremendous pace and throw chopping knees into the midsection, looking for any opportunity to “bust into” the double collar tie, as Matt Hume is often advising him to do from the other side of the fence.
This is as useful on offence as it is on defense, whenever Ali Bagautinov or John Dodson had Johnson's back to the fence he'd be worming his forearms in front of their collar bones, then driving them past him as he stepped off line.
Here Johnson completely reverses position on Ali Bagautinov.
On the ground, Johnson is one of the most active guard passers in mixed martial arts. You will hear Matt Hume shout “now pass” or something similar, and Johnson will immediately hop over his opponent's hooks and straight into side control.
From side control, rather than looking to mount, Johnson will usually continue to land elbows with the arm which is furthest from his opponent's legs, then begin to work for an attack on the opponent's far arm. Often this will involve jamming the wrist into the crook of the elbow, Billy Robinson style, to maneuver the arm into a kimura-able (a word of my own creation) position.
Johnson winkles the arm free and secures the wrist. Notice Johnson's use of his left forearm.
Against Chris Cariaso, the kimura was sufficient. Against John Moraga, Johnson was advised by Hume between rounds to attack with the kimura and then spiral for the armbar as Moraga defended. Late in the fifth round, Johnson did this and secured the tap.
But the portrayal of Johnson as the most perfect fighter in MMA is a short sighted one. There are a fair few areas where I'm sure Johnson himself would admit he could stand to make improvement, and a few of his habits which are downright hazardous.
For starters...
Jack Slack: The Tao of Demetrious Johnson | FIGHTLAND
