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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
With John Dodson getting booked for a fight with John Moraga in Albuquerque this June, the list of viable contenders for UFC Flyweight Champ Demetrious Johnson is quite small.
Because of that, it should come as no surprise that Ali Bagautinov appears to be the next man in line.
Russian site MMABoxing.ru has reported this week that Bagautinov will get the next shot at "Mighty Mouse," though no date or location for the bout is set.
Bagautinov has worked himself into contention on the strength of three straight wins in the UFC, which moved his overall winning streak to eleven fights. The 28-year-old moved to 13-2 overall with those wins over Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliott, and most recently, John Lineker.
He'll be the latest to try to take the belt from "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, who has done nothing but improve since capturing the belt in 2012. After defeating Joseph Benavidez for the inaugural title, Johnson defended that belt with a decision win over Dodson, a fifth round submission over Moraga, and then a first round knockout in the rematch with Benavidez.
Penick's Analysis: This is the sensible next matchup for Johnson, but Bagautinov, while deserving, hasn't really made a case for offering Johnson much of a challenge. He's looked solid, but not spectacular thus far in the UFC, whereas Johnson just keeps getting better every time out. Given Johnson's grappling game and his revamped striking game, he'll be heavily favored into this one.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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