It's rematch time at UFC 191, where Demetrious Johnson will clash with John Dodson in Las Vegas in a rematch of their classic encounter from 2013.
Johnson hasn't experienced much in the way of competition since, ruling the flyweight division with an iron fist and elite submission skills. It's been a rockier journey for Dodson, who dealt with a knee issue while clamoring for a rematch.
The headline act is a perfect topper on Saturday, but the promotion didn't hold back in making the rest of the card must-see action, either.
Below, let's take a look at the important info surrounding the event and make some calls on the top fights.
UFC 191 Viewing Info, Card and Predictions
Predicting Top Fights
Andrei Arlovski vs. Frank Mir
It seems one of the most obvious heavyweight bouts will unfold after years of it somehow not happening.
Frank Mir might be 36 years old, but he's still chugging along. His four-fight skid is well in the rearview mirror after two wins. Still, one can't help but feel like Mir will either get a title shot with a win here or fade in a bad way.
Arlovski's story isn't much different. He's the same age as Mir, the exception being his undefeated mark in three UFC bouts. His last two fights have come as Round 1 wins, as have Mir's.
For Mir, he sounded surprised the promotion didn't put a longer build behind two guys with more than a decade of experience, similar stories and who are fighting to stay alive, if not gain a title shot.
Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog captured his thoughts:
I thought that this fight had so much history behind it that maybe the buildup would have been longer than six weeks. [Since] both of us represent the same qualities of persevering through adversity, I would have liked it if one of us had the title and one of us came up to challenge so many years later. I thought that would have been a much more interesting [story] than just kind of a hurried rush, with both of us at this point of our success.
A bigger buildup might have been nice, but either way, it won't impact the action in the Octagon.
These two love to slug it out. Per UFC.com, Arlovski lands 3.19 significant strikes per minute to Mir's 2.28. Mir continues to get better in this regard, though, no longer the sluggish, almost laughable upright heavyweight defender who would prefer to take it to the mat.
Still, Mir's best shot is on the mat, but it won't be easy for him to get there. Arlovski defends 85.7 percent of the takedowns thrown his way, and in an upright battle, he's the pick, because he's quicker and more devastating with the blows.
Prediction: Arlovski via KO.
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
It's easy to point out Dodson's road back from knee surgery, but he didn't show much of an issue getting a unanimous decision against Zach Makovsky back in May at UFC 187.
In other words, he looks like the guy who caught Johnson and took him down in their first title match. He still looks like the guy who is the fastest at the weight behind Johnson, if not the one who packs the most power behind his punches.
Given the above, it's understandable Dodson is confident going into the rematch.
“I will guarantee that I am going to come out there and do something that’s never been done,” Dodson said, per UFC.com's Matt Parrino. “I’m going to stop Demetrious Johnson on Sept. 5.”
Still, when it comes down to prediction time, it's hard to go against the champion. Just because Johnson seems to have had an easy go of it in his title defenses as of late doesn't mean he isn't improving.
In fact, he continues to look better by the bout, tempering his speed when necessary and using a methodical approach to win by the time the bell rings. His speed isn't a crutch, as it might be for Dodson—it's one talent in what is perhaps the most well-rounded package in the sport.
As such, look for Johnson to avoid the early match-ending strikes from his opponent, settle into a pace and win this one on the cards. So long as he avoids the early onslaught, he's good for another title defense in what should be another classic.
Prediction: Johnson via decision.
Odds via Odds Shark.com as of September 3. Stats and info via UFC.com, unless otherwise specified.
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