The crew from Inside MMA caught up with Demetrious Johnson a week out from his fight with Ali Bagautinov. Johnson has defended his UFC world flyweight championship three times since winning the strap in a thrilling bout with Joseph Benavidez and has gone 5-0-1 since dropping down to flyweight.
Asked by the Inside MMA team how tough Bagautinov is, Johnson replied, “He’s real tough, we’re gonna find out next Saturday just how tough he is, and I’m ready to go out there and test myself.”
Johnson went on to explain what exactly he needs to do to get the win, “I just need to beat him everywhere. In the clinch, in the standup, ground, everywhere. It’s mixed martial arts. I’m ready and train with the world’s best.” Johnson continued, “I’m ready to make a statement that I’m going to dominate in this division.”
Neither fighter in the UFC 174 main event has been finished in their career, but Johnson thinks that he can change that, “I did it with the best fighters in the world. Joseph, he’d never been finished I ended up knocking him out. John Moraga, he’d never been finished I ended up submitting him.”