The streak. Is over.
After buzzsawing through the competition, defending the UFC flyweight title eleven straight times, Demetrious Johnson has finally been dethroned. Henry Cejudo, coming in as a +355 underdog, showed off his marked improvements and wrestled his way to a split decision victory.
Johnson looked like himself in the first round. He attacked the legs of Cejudo and tested his gas tank with hard kicks to the body. Cejudo stood in front of him and returned fire with his hands. It wasn't until the second round that Cejudo made his mark on the fight. The Olympic gold medalist showed off his wrestling prowess, taking Johnson down and controlling the position for an extended period of the time.
The third round looked similar to the first. Johnson managed to keep things on the feet, picking apart Cejudo with leg kicks and rolling out of any takedown attempt. And the fourth was nearly identical to the second, with Cejudo securing a takedown and not giving up the position.
Many had the fight coming down to the fifth and final round. The champion kept up with his gameplan, chopping at the legs of the challenger and hammering home body kicks. Cejudo, undeterred, pushed Johnson against the cage, showing superior Octagon control. In the dying seconds, both men threw with everything they had left.
In the end, fans witnessed the greatest flyweight fight of all-time. A five-round masterclass in skill and tactics.
The decision will go down as semi-controversial and truly depends on what you value when watching the fight. Johnson did more accumulative damage, but Cejudo landed multiple takedowns and dominated position on the ground and in the clinch.
Of course, it doesn't matter how we scored it at home. All that matters is how the judges saw it. And two judges awarded Cejudo three rounds to two, marking the first time a fighter not named Demetrious Johnson will hold the flyweight title.
Following the bout, Cejudo made it known that he wanted to move up and fight the winner of the bantamweight title tilt between TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt.
If you missed any of the action at UFC 227, check out Fightful's full results.
