It was another 24 minutes and 59 seconds of dominance Saturday night at Bell Centre in Montreal, as UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson retained his title for the sixth time, submitting a game, but overmatched Kyoji Horiguchi in the UFC 186 main event.
The finish was the latest ever in UFC history.
Horiguchi wore off any nervous energy at the start with several kicks, allowing him to get into a rhythm. In the second minute, Johnson got into the action by catching one of those kicks and pushing the challenger into the fence.
> WATCH: Demetrious Johnson Octagon Interview
After little action there, Johnson pushed off his foe and the fight went back to long range, this time with the champion playing the aggressor. This tactic worked, as he fired off a flurry and then scored a takedown. Horiguchi battled his way upright and caught Johnson with a couple hard shots, capping off the first round.
Johnson went on the attack to begin round two, and Horiguchi fired back eagerly before a clinch took place against the fence once more. Horiguchi then stunned the champion with a takedown, and he stayed locked on as the two rose.
After breaking free, Johnson pursued his foe aggressively and took him down. Horiguchi got back to his feet, but Johnson floored him four more times until the horn sounded.
Horiguchi remained competitive in rounds three and four, but Johnson was always a step or two ahead, keeping him in the lead as the first 20 minutes of the fight were completed.
In the fifth, Horiguchi tried to make his last stand but Johnson wasn’t having it, as he kept the challenger guessing until he exploded in the closing seconds, trapping Horiguchi and then locking in the armbar that ended matters at the 4:59 mark.
Parkland, Washington’s Johnson, 28, ups his record to 22-2-1; Tokyo’s Horiguchi, 24, falls to 15-2.
