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D. FOX: Rapid-fire reactions to UFC 186 "Johnson vs. Horiguchi" from Montreal
Apr 26, 2015 - 1:05:13 AM D. FOX: Rapid-fire reactions to UFC 186 "Johnson vs. Horiguchi" from Montreal

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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

Aside from the co-main event, the action for UFC 186 was pretty good and featured a little bit of history being made as well. Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson, while well respected in the MMA community, has received undue criticism from the casual fan for being boring and/or too small. While nothing can be done about his size, he set a record that can't be broken when he submitted Kyoji Horiguchi with one second left on the clock of a five round fight. For all of the talk of him being boring, he could have coasted to victory as it was well in the bag, but he chose to go for the finish and did so, giving him his fourth finish in his last five fights. Give the man some respect people!

Here's my thoughts on each fight:

Demetrious Johnson defeated Kyoji Horiguchi via submission at 4:59 of the fifth round

I'll be the first person to admit this fight wasn't a barnburner by any means, but Horiguchi never quit, and Johnson's offense was continual… even if it was takedown attempts that were stalled against the fence. Horiguchi landed some good shots and teased that he could put the champion out, but just never landed the right shot to do so. He showed a lot of resilience too, as Johnson tried continually to finish the fight long before he did. Horiguchi impressed me as he never truly gave up, and lasted longer than I had anticipated. Hopefully this will serve as a learning experience for him, as Johnson was a massive step up from what he had formerly faced in addition to going five rounds for the first time. The smart money says that is exactly what will happen.

As for our Champion, I still don't anticipate him getting the credit he deserves. The win serves as his sixth successful title defense and it's hard to see someone ending it anytime soon. My guess is he will face the winner of next month's John Dodson-Zach Makovsky fight next. He has already beaten Dodson once and while Dodson was his toughest fight, Johnson has improved since then while Dodson has battled multiple injuries. Makovsky is a good fighter, but he doesn't seem to be at the elite level. I'd say Johnson represents the best argument against Ronda Rousey as far as most dominant champ is concerned, as he is laying waste to everyone in his division… and it hasn't been close.


Rampage Jackson defeated Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision

While Jackson's return to the UFC was successful (especially considering the circumstances around it), it was far from aesthetically pleasing. It was a plodding boxing match with Rampage clearly not in peak shape, leading him to (wisely) pace himself. Maldonado continually encouraged Jackson to bring it, but he didn't do much to take the fight to Jackson himself. He might have hit himself more than he did Rampage as he asked for more from the former Champ. One encouraging aspect of the fight was seeing Rampage use leg kicks and Muay Thai in the clinch. He could remain relevant longer than expected if he continues to do that. The win will likely return him to the rankings... indicating the sorry state of the division. As for Maldonado, he made an enemy out of Joe Rogan with "toenail-gate" before entering the cage and just seemed uninspired overall.


Michael Bisping defeated CB Dollaway via unanimous decision

Bisping did what Bisping does. Dollaway faded early in the fight while Bisping was fresh by the end, and that proved to be the difference in this one. Both landed some good shots on one another, with Dollaway having more power behind his punches as he floored the Brit near the end of the first round, though he was unable to finish him. Bisping picked Dollaway apart from there, though props need to be given to Dollaway for keeping the fight competitive even as he faded. Bisping still talks of becoming champion, but few are (or should) take him seriously. He is a good gatekeeper, and after nine years in the UFC, that is nothing to be ashamed of. Dollaway has dropped two in a row and will get a step down in competition, but his stock didn't drop by much, if at all, in this loss.


John Makdessi defeated Shane Campbell via TKO at 4:53 of the first round

Despite some news that could be quite distracting coming out earlier this week (Makdessi's company is being sued), Makdessi kept his focus and spent the first few minutes of the fight gauging the distance and timing of Campbell. Once he had that down, he clocked Campbell with a hard right hand that Campbell never fully recovered from. Campbell was game and able to get back to his feet, but was floored again before the round was over and the ref FINALLY called the fight after Makdessi swarmed. Makdessi is firmly an action fighter at this point. Perhaps with another win he can start making a push. Campbell didn't embarrass himself as he got caught and continued to fight, but he could use a step down in competition.


Thomas Almeida defeated Yves Jabouin via TKO at 4:18 of the first round

Almeida is living up to the hype. Outside of a brief takedown by Jabouin, Almeida was never threatened, and was able to take over as he found his range later in the round. Once he discovered he had hurt Jabouin, he swarmed on the veteran and attacked until the referee stepped in to stop the onslaught. Jabouin didn't drop, and some may have felt it was stopped prematurely, but few would argue the end was nigh. Almeida could very well enter the rankings off of that performance. At the very least, his next opponent will in the top 15. Jabouin was a gatekeeper coming into this fight and walks out of it in the same role as most expected this outcome.


Patrick Cote defeated Joe Riggs via unanimous decision

Many expected this fight to be a stinker. It wasn't great by any means, but I'd say it surpassed the expectations of most. Riggs showed his underrated grappling prowess and was able to get Cote in some bad situations, only for Cote to escape and gain the advantageous position. Cote ended up with more control time and easily more strikes landed, which was enough to give him the win. Look for Cote (Quebec's favorite fighter with GSP retired) to get a favorable fight on a future Canadian card. Riggs could get the axe, depending on how the UFC views his loss to Ben Saunders, which had a flukish element to it.


Alexis Davis defeated Sarah Kaufman via submission at 1:52 of the second round

The fight started out very similar to their second encounter with the two throwing down in the middle of the cage and Kaufman owning a slight edge. Things changed once Davis was able to take Kaufman down (an impressive feat on its own) and slapped on a triangle and transitioned to a TIGHT armbar. Unfortunately, the ref couldn't see Kaufman tapping to the hold for a number of seconds. Hopefully there is no long term damage to Kaufman's arm. Davis is still in a bad spot despite the win, as she isn't the most marketable and was already steamrolled by Rousey. Maybe she'll get a shot against Cat Zingano. Kaufman can likely kiss any chance at a rematch with Rousey goodbye. She can still serve as a great gatekeeper.


Chad Laprise defeated Bryan Barberena via unanimous decision

Laprise started out on fire and landed some VERY heavy shots, mixing in hooks with head kicks. He started to slow midway through the second round and allowed the tough and durable Barberena to get back in the fight. Barberena pressured Laprise and an argument could be made that he took the last two rounds, but no one was surprised to hear the hometown favorite received the nod from the judges. Laprise needs to either pace himself better or improve his conditioning to take the next step, but he still holds promise. Barberena proved to be very durable and may have improved his stock in a loss.


Olivier Aubin-Mercier defeated David Michaud via submission at 3:24 of the third round

The book on Aubin-Mercier has been that of a talented young grappler with a ways to go in his striking. That is still the book, but he has covered some distance in the face punching department. He caught Michaud with a couple of really solid shots that showed he is progressing, and could be making serious noise in a year... but more likely two. His grappling hasn't seemed to suffer, either, as he spent about half the bout on Michaud's back... even if it was just against the fence. For Michaud's part, his resiliance was apparent, and he even stunned Aubin-Mercier in the second, but it wasn't enough. He's not a prospect to watch, but he is fun to watch.


Nordine Taleb defeated Chris Clements via unanimous decision

Taleb used forward pressure and takedowns to pick up a decision victory in a relatively nondescript victory. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't overly entertaining either. It was pretty much just there. Considering the ceiling for both of these fighters is fairly low, that really is the best way to describe it as it does little to shape the divisional landscape. Taleb picks up his third victory in a row which should be enough for him to warrant a serious step up in competition. Clements isn't going anywhere, but approaching 40, his clock is ticking.


Valerie Letourneau defeated Jessica Rakoczy via unanimous decision

While it was definitely sloppy at times, both women came to fight and deserve a lot of credit. Letorneau almost finished the fight with an armbar-triangle choke combination in the first, and Rakoczy somehow held on to escape and take control of the round. Letourneau recovered from there and dominated the former boxing champion in the striking department, swelling her right eye shut by the third round. Rakoczy could be cut with this loss (I expect it) while Letourneau is still a long ways away from contending in a clouded division.


Randa Markos defeated Aisling Daly via unanimous decision

It's hard to find a better way to open up a card than the way these two ladies did, as both showed all sorts of heart and guts. Markos dominated the first round and opened up the second strong before Daly reversed the momentum with a strong finish to steal the round. Markos landed a few well-timed takedowns to steal the third and the victory. Coming off the loss to Jessica Penne, Markos isn't going to get a title fight next despite this win, but she isn't far away from that due to the wide open state of the division. Daly shouldn't lose much ground if any as her performance was just as gutty. Someone had to lose though…