But after a brief stint in lesser prominent promotion companies where he went 6-0, the UFC took notice and signed him back as a light heavyweight in 2014. The fight remains an intriguing one, yet so does a rematch with Cormier after Johnson has rattled off back-to-back wins over Jimi Manuwa and Bader.
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Bader appeared dazed after the fight, unsure of how things had gone south so quickly.
Bader (21-5) came right at Johnson but his offense wouldn’t last long.
Rothwell is riding a three-fight win-streak including a victory over Alistair Overeem. However, Johnson is the better fighter and more experienced, as he’s looking for a possible title shot once Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones handle their business. The only defeat in that stretch came in a title fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 187. As veterans often do, however, Barberena stuck around and then managed to take the fight to an area where he was more comfortable than his opponent.
That leaves two options for Johnson, and he’s happy with either. After Cormier beat Johnson in May, Bader was an obvious opponent.
‘Of course, I believe I can knock out anybody that I fight, ‘ Johnson said. To the surprise of everyone watching, “Big Ben” locked in a deep guillotine submission that Barnett simply couldn’t get out.
In the co main event of the evening, Ben Rothwell shocked Josh Barnett with a submission victory in the second round.
The win extends Rothwell’s winning streak to four and showed that he’s added a unsafe new weapon to his arsenal.
Afterwards, Rothwell used his time on the mic to fire shots at his heavyweight rivals.
Total fight time for the 13-bout card was 2:33:58.
The division is in a flux because of the recent postponement due to injury of both champion Fabricio Werdum and No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez.
Make no mistake, though, Rothwell just inserted himself into the conversation.
Sage Northcutt, at 19, the youngest fighter on the roster, and Bryan Barberena were both bloodied in the first round of their lightweight bout that opened the main card.
He was treated nearly like an afterthought to the 19-year-old Nortchutt’s pre-ordained ascendancy.
While Barberena won’t supplant Northcutt in UFC’s marketing push, he can always hang his hat on the fact that he blew up the “Super” Sage hype train. “It gives me plenty of time to get ready for whoever”.
Barberena, who lost his last fight to Canadian Chad Laprise, survived an early onslaught by Northcutt and began landing shots late in the first round. In the second round, Northcutt went for a spinning kick and ended up on the ground. Jones has also expressed a desire to face Johnson, after the way their first fight was canceled.
-Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision. “How you all like my jiu-jitsu now?”
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Then again, most MMA fans already knew why Bader would be potentially terrified of the beast that is “Rumble”, especially considering his penchant for violent finishes. Jones has not had a fight in over the year, unless you count the law, and still secures the number one ranking at light heavyweight.
