Demetrious Johnson defended his title successfully in the main event of TUF 24 Finale on Saturday night, but not as easily as most expected.
His opponent, Tim Elliott, was rewarded a flyweight title shot by winning The Ultimate Fighter 24, and the fight against Johnson was his return to the Octagon after being released from the organization in early 2015. Elliott was a massive underdog going into the evening’s main event, but didn’t exactly look like one in the actual fight.
Elliott looked fantastic in the opening round, scoring a takedown, attempting a relatively tight guillotine choke, and even momentarily dropping the 125-pound champion. “Mighty Mouse” looked in a world of trouble, but his veteran savvy came into play in the four later rounds.
Johnson adjusted his game after realizing that Elliott had a major hole on the mat — Elliott struggled to get up from side control the first time Johnson got him in that position, so Johnson went back to that dominant position time and time again throughout the rest of the bout.
Johnson dominated Elliott with grappling, but props must be given to the challenger for staying tough, not getting finished by the pound-for-pound king, and showing off a much improved game since his release from the organization two years ago.
TUF 24 Finale took place live from The Palms in Las Vegas.
Official result: Demetrious Johnson def. Tim Elliott by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-45) to remain UFC flyweight champion