Demetrious Johnson pulls off jaw dropping submission to make history at UFC 216
Demetrious Johnson made history on Saturday night at UFC 216 and he did so in style.
To earn his 11th consecutive title defense — an all time record in UFC history — Johnson battered Ray Borg for four straight rounds, but just winning by unanimous decision wasn’t enough.
Instead, Johnson saw an opening late in the fifth and final round before pulling off one of the most awe-inspiring submissions that has ever been attempted in the 20-plus years the UFC has been in business.
Before he pulled off that submission, Johnson looked to use his kicking game to punish Borg from the outside. Johnson tagged Borg several times with a stiff inside leg kick before firing off a head kick and a body kick as time continued to tick away.
While Borg was the aggressor by stalking Johnson around the Octagon, his offense was nearly non-existent as he kept eating counter shots from the champion.
Johnson eventually got the fight down to the ground in a scramble before pressing him against the cage before transitioning to a striking attack from the top.
The offensive onslaught continued for Johnson as he looked for several submissions until time ran out and the horn sounded on the first round.
Borg made a good adjustment going into the second stanza as he immediately pressured Johnson, closing the distance and looking for the takedown from the clinch. Borg eventually got the takedown as Johnson scrambled off the bottom but that left an opening for the New Mexico based flyweight to hop on his back looking for the rear naked choke.
Unfortunately for the top five-ranked contender, Johnson quickly shook himself free before twisting and taking Borg back down to the ground. Johnson methodically out worked Borg on the mat as he continued to pepper away with strikes while staying in position if a submission came available.
The third round was more of the same with Borg attempting to pressure forward before looking for a takedown but Johnson was quick to get free of his grasp as he quickly reversed positions to land on top again.
Johnson was just unrelenting with knees to the body, elbows to the head and constantly staying active so Borg had no choice but to play defense, which didn’t allow him any space to try and get back to his feet.
The punishment continued as Johnson took the back and started looking for a rear naked choke but Borg was able to resist the position as he ended up stuck underneath the flyweight champion yet again.
Perhaps the best offensive move of the fight came in the fourth round as Borg opened with a huge slam to plant Johnson on the mat, but he couldn’t maintain position as Johnson worked back up to the feet just a few seconds later.
Johnson’s constant attacks continued as he blasted away at Borg with short punches on the inside along with knees to the body before changing his attack with a takedown of his own.
It was a demoralizing performance with Johnson essentially doing whatever he wanted from striking on the feet to out grappling Borg on the mat. To his credit, Borg continued to stay in the fight until Johnson finally saw an opening to finish it.
With his hands around Borg’s waist, Johnson lifted him into the air before tossing him back down to the mat, but a slam wasn’t nearly enough for the longest reigning champion in UFC history. Instead, Johnson transitioned in mid-air to an armbar before securing the submission that got the tap from Borg at 3:15 in the final round.
It was the perfect way to cap off the night for Johnson as he now stands alone with the most title defenses in UFC history (11), surpassing the great Anderson Silva.
Afterwards, Johnson didn’t have a lengthy speech already prepared after making history but he did point to his picture perfect game plan that absolutely dismantled Borg en route to another win to tack onto his resume.
“I’m not going to come out here and bang and show I have power. I’m not in the business to get hit and take concussions,” Johnson said. “S–t’s way overrated, I’m telling you right now. I’m in the business of getting in here and making a fool of you, throw you in the air like a bag of potatoes, throwing you down between my legs and break your arm.
That’s exactly what Johnson did and now the only question becomes who will be the next opponent to attempt to put a stop to his unbelievable reign as champion.
