Penick's Take
Penick's UFC on Fox 9 Notebook: Demetrious Johnson's evolution, Urijah Faber on title path, and much more
Dec 15, 2013 - 8:55:22 AM Penick's UFC on Fox 9 Notebook: Demetrious Johnson's evolution, Urijah Faber on title path, and much more

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Despite injuries taking away a couple of the most anticipated fights for Saturday's UFC on Fox 9 card in Sacramento, the remaining top two fights delivered and then some. UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson proved his a step above the entire division, while Urijah Faber showed that another title fight is absolutely in reach. More on that and other musings from tonight's card in a new notebook tonight:

--Demetrious Johnson's evolution in the flyweight division has been remarkable to watch, and the fact that he's only getting better just leaves the rest of the division playing catch up. His debut fight at 125 lbs. against Ian McCall should have gone to a fourth round on a draw in a fight he probably would have lost given how the third round went, but he bounced back with a decisive decision in the rematch. That September, he edged past Joseph Benavidez to become the first UFC Flyweight Champ.

From there, he showed he can take some big strikes and come back against John Dodson, he showed he can finish fights at just about any point if you give him an opening against John Moraga, and on Saturday, he showed that he's got power to stop fights with his strikes as well.

His knockout win over Benavidez in the rematch was simply remarkable. Benavidez was coming in better than ever, while Johnson had seemed vulnerable off the damage he took in the Dodson and Moraga fights. Vulnerable he was not, and his brutal knockout over Benavidez was amazing to see play out. He's got power, he's got speed, he's got wrestling, he's got submissions. Any fighter trying to beat Johnson is going to have to figure out some way to stop that combination that is only getting stronger from fight to fight.

--Speaking of getting stronger fight to fight, Urijah Faber at 34 is every bit as dangerous as he was during his run in the WEC. He might be better in this current run than he's been in the last five years. He had Michael McDonald figured out, didn't let him get comfortable at all, and that finishing sequence was excellent. Now, he has to approach a title fight with Renan Barao or Dominick Cruz with the same mindset he's approaching these non-title fights, because I think he's gotten in his own head a little bit with gold on the line. That said, for as good as Cruz and Barao are, Faber can't be counted out right now. The way he's winning these fights is proof positive of the type of skill he possesses, and if everything is put together, he's got the ability to beat anyone at 135 lbs., the two champions included. At the very least, he's more than earned one final shot at that belt with this four fight run.

--Nik Lentz gave Chad Mendes the difficult fight I expected, just in a different way than I thought we'd see. Mendes was able to utilize his takedown game more effectively, while that didn't wind up being Lentz's gameplan. Instead, Lentz took Mendes' best shots in that first round, then out-struck him the rest of the way. The failure to stop takedowns in the second round and then late in the third cost Lentz the fight, I think, because it was the three takedowns in round two and the slip in the third with the flying knee that worked against him. It's a missed opportunity for Lentz, but an important learning experience for Mendes, who battled through what he said was complications from a sinus infection and did enough to move past that challenge. He's likely going to get another fight for the UFC Featherweight Championship, but he'll need to be much more on his game than he was Saturday night to get the job done. As for Lentz, hopefully this elevates him, because he did take Mendes' best shots, and even beat him in the striking game for most of the fight.

--It remains unsurprising yet massively frustrating that judges refuse to utilize 10-8 scores for dominant rounds. As Dana White said after the event, the first round of Danny Castillo-Edson Barboza was closer to a 10-7 than a 10-8. And the dominance for Barboza in the second was worthy of a 10-8 given how the scoring should be used. But given how it's done in practice I understand a 10-9 there a lot more than a 10-9 in the first round. that's ridiculous, and it's a shame. If nearly stopping a fighter and hurting them badly in a round where you have 90% of the offense doesn't constitute a 10-8, what in the hell can?

--For the rest of the card, there were a number of solid if unspectacular performances, but a couple worth bringing attention to are flyweight newcomers Zach Makovsky and Alptekin Ozkilic. Makovsky, the former Bellator Bantamweight Champ, stepped up on really short notice to take on Scott Jorgensen, and looked really good given the circumstances. Ozkilic was another late addition, and he looked very good against Darren Uyenoyama in the night's opening fight. New blood is coming into the 125 lb. division at the right time, because the UFC's going to need more guys who can attempt to dethrone a Champion who is just above the pack right now.