Tim Elliott wasn't supposed to stand a chance against one of the pound-for-pound all-time greats. Tim Elliott didn't care.
The TUF 24 winner was cut from the UFC just last year after losing three straight fights. After the TUF 24 Finale, he's likely a top-5 fighter in the division even in a loss.
Elliott brought his unusual style in against the Flyweight Champion, his prize for running the table in the Ultimate Fighter 24 tourney. Elliott won the first round, giving Johnson a handful both on the feet and the ground. Elliott nearly finished the dominant title holder with a guillotine choke that he changed to a D'arce, before it was escaped. Despite being overwhelmed in the later rounds, the title challenger escaped Johnson's trademark crucifix. Johnson would take the final four rounds of the fight for his ninth consecutive UFC title defense, one short of Anderson Silva's record.
An interesting note in the fight were the egregious number of fouls by Elliot that went unpunished -- a soccer kick attempt to the head, an illegal knee, small joint manipulation. This came during a night of several questionable calls.
Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson could be running out of contenders. Wilson Reis was previously booked against Johnson, but the fight was canceled, as were subsequent fights with Sean Santella and Yuta Sasaki. Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga is also a fight worth taking a look at during UFC Fight Night 103. Johnson has defeated 6 of the top 9 ranked UFC Flyweights, a number that will likely improve to 7 of the top 10 when Elliot is included.
You can check out our full coverage of the TUF Finale at this link, and the Fightful Podcast below.
