TUF 24 Finale Date: December 3, 2016 Arena: The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort City: Las Vegas, NV Flyweight title bout: Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (-840) vs Tim Elliott (+660) Fight Breakdown: The main event for the TUF 24 Finale will be a flyweight title fight between defending UFC 125-pound champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and challenger Tim Elliott, with Johnson being a massive -840 ($840 to win $100) betting favorite and Elliott being a +660 ($100 to win $660) underdog at Several Bookmakerss. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson(24-2-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) last saw action at UFC Fight Night 97 just over seven months ago, where he stopped Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo via TKO inside of the very first round of action. The victory put him at 10 wins in a row inside the Octagon and he remains undefeated since dropping down to 125-pounds, while making eight successful UFC Flyweight title defenses. “Mighty Mouse” is exceptionally talented in every facet of Mixed Martial Arts, and he continues to improve in every area of the sport. Johnson is arguably the fastest fighter to ever compete inside the Octagon; he is incredibly quick on the feet, which greatly benefits his outstanding defense on the feet. He puts together some beautiful combinations and often gets out of the way before his opponent has a chance to react. The WEC veteran has a solid wrestling game and does a fantastic job if employing it in his bouts. He is often successful with his takedown attempts, and like with everything else he does, he is very quick with his shots. He does an excellent job of setting them up with his strikes, too. While in top position on the mat, Johnson does not just grind it out until the round ends. He spends the entire time working; landing shots, while looking for possible submissions. He is constantly looking for openings, both on the feet and on the mat, and he is always quick to take advantage of them. The former bantamweight’s defensive wrestling is also on point, as he possesses solid takedown defense. And when taken down, he is not easy to keep down. He remains active off his back, looking to score points and search for a way back to his feet. Training out of AMC Pankration in Seattle, W.A. under the tutelage of Matt Hume, Johnson is constantly improving and has tremendous cardio, so nobody doubts that he will have enough in the tank for a full 25-minutes of action in this bout, if necessary. Tim Elliott (13-6-3 MMA, 2-4 UFC) won the tournament for season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter and now gets to face Johnson in the finale for the UFC Flyweight title. He was released from the promotion following a 2-4 run and a three fight skid, but a three fight winning streak under the Titan FC banner and capturing the promotion’s 125-pound title saw him earn a spot on the reality television series, which he eventually won. The 29-year-old is an athletic southpaw who has a great chin and a wild, unorthodox style of fighting. He is a talented wrestler who prefers the single leg and is good at landing it. His elbows are razor sharp, and he is quite effective with them in his ground and pound attack. His takedown defense isn’t very good, but he is great at quickly getting back to his feet. The RFA and Titan FC veteran has a solid submission game, both offensively and defensively. He is dangerous off his back, as he constantly threatens with submissions. Not to mention, he makes solid transitions on the mat. Elliott likes to remain active and keep the pressure on his opponents. He has great footwork and is very quick. He likes to implement his knees and elbows in his striking attack, and has a nice flying knee he loves to use, as well. He dishes out a lot of kicks, too, and has a variety of them in his arsenal. Elliott puts together some effective, high-volume combinations on the feet, and he good cardio to boot. Gabe’s Call: “Mighty Mouse” by Submission (D’Arce choke, 3:41 round 4) Gabe’s Thoughts: In short, I favor this main event title fight to end inside the distance and think that 25-minutes is enough time for “Mighty Mouse” to secure a submission durring a scramble/grappling exchange. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Johnson/Elliott Under 4.5 rounds (-132) 2.64u to win 2u
