On Saturday night, the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, defends his belt against top contender John Moraga at UFC on FOX 8. This is probably the most exciting matchup that could be made in the 125-pound division. This piece will break down both fighters, as well as where the fight will likely be won and lost.
John Moraga
Following a collegiate wrestling career at Arizona State University, Phoenix native John Moraga set his sights on a career in mixed martial arts. In 2008, Moraga began to train at Arizona Combat Sports with former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner. In 2009, with only a year of MMA training, Moraga turned pro, and had success immediately, first as a featherweight, then as a bantamweight, before finding his home in the 125-pound division. Moraga eventually joined the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona, following his teammate Varner, and began to train alongside UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson, under the tutelage of Royce Gracie black belt John Crouch.
Moraga is known for his high-level wrestling, but has begun to make a name for himself as one of the flyweight division’s premier submission grapplers. Through his teaching under Crouch, Moraga has learned to blend his heavy top game in with the fundamentals of jiu jitsu, and has been dominating all comers in the grappling department. His lone loss comes to former flyweight title challenger John Dodson, who like Johnson, relies a lot on his pace to maneuver his way out of takedown attempts.
Striking-wise, Moraga favours the technical approach, and has outstruck both his adversaries so far in his UFC career. His striking was particularly devastating in his Octagon debut against Ulysses Gomez, who he rendered unconscious in the first round of their battle at UFC on FOX 4.
The keys to victory for Moraga are making sure he gets off first on the feet and doesn’t get flat footed against his faster foe. He needs to make sure to set up his takedowns with strikes.
Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious began training to be a mixed martial artist in his teens, after being impressed by fighters’ fitness on The Ultimate Fighter. After taking up the sport casually, he proved to be a natural, turning pro at 20. His debut MMA fight lasted just 17 seconds, as he knocked out his opponent with ease.
Johnson first came to prominence in World Extreme Cagefighting, where he became a fan favourite and went 2-1 with the promotion.
After WEC was absorbed by the UFC, Demetrious Johnson racked off two straight wins and challenged for the bantamweight title at UFC on Versus 6, where he suffered his lone UFC loss against Dominick Cruz. From that point on, Johnson has been on a tear, and is unbeaten in his last four Octagon appearances.
Skills-wise, Johnson relies heavily on his athleticism. In his last fight he faced perhaps the fastest fighter in the division, John Dodson, and beat him to the punch on numerous occasions. His grappling is consistently improving, as he trains under one of the world’s most underrated coaches, Matt Hume. Wrestling-wise is where this fight gets really interesting, as on paper Moraga is the better wrestler, but Johnson has yet to be outgrappled at 125 pounds.
The keys for victory for Johnson are simple. He needs to use his speed and footwork to land first and try to take the fight into the deeper rounds, where on paper, he is at an advantage.
The Verdict
I see this fight taking place mainly on the feet. I really can’t see Moraga taking down the much faster Johnson. Even if he does, Johnson has showed he is impossible to keep down for long periods of time. On the feet, the fight will be close. I see Moraga winning one of the early rounds before tiring out in the latter half of the fight. Expect to see Johnson landing hard and often in the final two rounds, before earning himself a late stoppage or a decision win.
**********
UFC on Fox 8 is due to take place on July 27, 2013 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC on Fox 8 will be.
