COMMENTARY Demetrious Johnson defeated John Moraga via submission in the fifth round to retain his flyweight title at UFC on FOX 8 on Saturday July 27. Johnson's victory capped an interesting night of fights that included impressive victories for Liz Carmouche and Robbie Lawler.
Here are four thoughts on the evening's main card
Lawler has more to prove
Welterweight Robbie Lawler absolutely dominated Bobby Voelker on Saturday night. Every part of his striking game looked crisp and well planned. Lawler deserves almost all of the credit he received during the broadcast from UFC commentator Joe Rogan after putting together such a strong performance.
However Lawler's victory doesn't mean that he's re emerged as a top fighter in the welterweight division. He's 5 5 in his last 10 fights and most of his wins have come against declining fighters. I need to see more from Lawler if I'm going to believe that he's found a way to rejuvenate his career. Don't forget that Voelker has only fought twice in the last two years and has never been ranked as a top 10 welterweight. I'm not going to anoint Lawler as a contender based on two consecutive victories over declining fighters.
That said Lawler is always an exciting fighter to watch. I truly hope that he's finally living up to his full potential. He's always had certain holes in his game but maybe Lawler is finally turning the corner.
Carmouche finishes Andrade
Liz Carmouche may have lost her debut last February when she challenged Ronda Rousey for the bantamweight title but she quickly reminded fans why she belongs in the UFC. Carmouche handled the talented Jessica Andrade in what was probably the most technical bout on the main card.
It's going to be interesting to see who the UFC matches her up with next because there aren't many bantamweights who can deal with Carmouche right now. She's improved tremendously since her Strikeforce loss to Marloes Coenen and it's only a matter of time before Carmouche competes for the title once again. Unfortunately with Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano ahead of her it's going to take some time for her earn another shot at the belt.
Don't blame MacDonald for wretched co main event
Rory MacDonald is taking a lot of criticism for the lackluster co main event but I'm not sure why he's being singled out. His opponent Jake Ellenberger put on a horrible performance against MacDonald and he deserves just as much criticism for this fight.
MacDonald didn't go for broke against Ellenberger but at least he engaged his opponent. Ellenberger struggled to pull the trigger throughout the entire fight. He allowed MacDonald to dictate the action which is what cost him any chance of earning the victory. I agree that the MacDonald Ellenberger bout stunk and I will definitely think twice before buying the next pay per view card featuring either fighter. However most of the blame rests with Ellenberger not MacDonald.
Johnson continues to set the standard in the flyweight division
Demetrious Johnson faced plenty of criticism from his opponent John Moraga entering this fight but he was the one who put together a solid performance. Johnson controlled Moraga by using his speed and wrestling throughout the fight. He even held it together after Moraga broke his nose in the fourth round.
Johnson is what a UFC champion should be. He constantly works throughout all five rounds and he always looks for a way to win. Johnson rarely finishes opponents but that doesn't mean he's sitting back and riding out a decision. He proved that on Saturday night when he submitted Moraga late in the fifth round. Johnson is a true champion and he deserves more respect than he's getting from the MMA world.
Derek Ciapala has been following MMA for 20 years. He has been published on Yahoo Sports Yahoo Movies and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or on Twitter dciapala.
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