UFC on FX 3: Why Demetrious Johnson Shouldn't Be Ruled out vs. Joseph Benavidez

They call him Mighty Mouse for a reason...

..Maybe they should’ve called him Scrappy Doo.

In 18 career fights, Demetrious Johnson has lost just twice. He holds a 60% finishing rate among his wins, and has never been knocked out or submitted. Guys like that just can’t be counted out.

Demetrious Johnson is not going to be favored going into a bout with Joseph Benavidez, who is hungry and ready for Flyweight gold. He possesses a very high skill level, and has only been defeated twice—both times by Bantamweight king Dominick Cruz.

However, going into this fight, Johnson is going to have a significant grappling advantage, as he scores takedowns at a clip of 54 percent and stops 55 percent; while Benavidez is only 22 percent successful with takedowns yet 48 percent at stopping them.

On the surface, this may look like the makings of a five round unanimous decision for Benavidez, but before it’s all said and done Mighty Mouse will show Benavidez what a fight truly is. Johnson has power in both hands, rocking both Dominick Cruz and Ian McCall in their respective bouts. He has a solid wrestling base and may be the fastest fighter in all of the UFC.  

Benavidez has shown somewhat of a weakness to quicker fighters such as Cruz with his unorthodox quick striking and great wrestling; and while Johnson isn’t quite on that level, he’s definitely close enough to give Benavidez a run for his money. With the power and speed of his hands coupled with the always important wrestling base, it’s very possible that Johnson will take home the gold.

In any case, it would be a mistake to count him out.