5 times Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson was in trouble in the UFC

#3 vs. Joseph Benavidez, UFC 152 – 09/22/12

Joseph Benavidez dropped Johnson in their first fight

While their rematch fifteen months later was a blowout – Johnson knocked out Benavidez in the first round – the first fight between Mighty Mouse and Team Alpha Male’s top Flyweight for the inaugural UFC 125lbs title was incredibly close to call. In the end, Johnson was awarded the decision after doing just about enough to outpoint Benavidez, but the fourth round saw him in a lot of trouble.

The round had just begun when Benavidez avoided a takedown attempt and stunned Johnson with a big right hand, sending him down hard. Badly hurt, Johnson instinctively shot in for a takedown, only for Benavidez to grab hold of the trademark Team Alpha Male guillotine choke. The fight looked over as he ended up in a mounted position with Mighty Mouse still stuck in the submission, but somehow – after kicking his legs for leverage – Johnson was able to escape and survive the round.

The fight ended in a split decision – one judge going with Benavidez and the other two with Johnson – but there was no question who’d come closest to finishing the fight, and under PRIDE rules – where the fight was scored as a whole – Benavidez probably would’ve had his hand raised.