After finishing Olympic gold medallist Henry Cejudo without breaking a sweat last month at UFC 197, Demetrious Johnson is set for a quick turnaround.
The UFC’s flyweight champion will defend his belt against Wilson Reis in the co-main event of UFC 201 in Atlanta July 30. The UFC confirmed the news Wednesday night after UFC Tonight’s Megan Olivi was first to report the bout.
Reis, the No. 8-ranked flyweight contender, is a somewhat surprising title challenger but the UFC doesn’t have many other options considering Johnson (24–2–1) has more or less already cleared out the division. Johnson already holds wins over the top six contenders and the No. 7 contender, Zach Makovsky, has lost two straight and three of his last four fights.
Reis (20-6) has enjoyed some success since dropping to the 125-pound division. The 31-year-old boasts an impressive ground game and is coming off a win over the always-tough Dustin Ortiz.
“Very happy and excited about this fight!” Reis wrote in Portuguese on Instagram. “I’ve been training for it for a long time. Very proud to be the first Brazilian to fight for the [flyweight] title…Thank you to my family, friends, training partners and coaches for always believing in me.”
Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter will feature 125-pound titleholders from other organizations around the globe with the winner of the tournament earning a title shot. TUF 24 doesn’t premiere until Aug. 31 and the finale doesn’t take place until December. Clearly, Johnson did not wish to wait around.
There is talk of Johnson eventually moving up to the 135-pound bantamweight division but he has mentioned on multiple occasions he wishes to break Anderson Silva’s record for most title defences in UFC history. Silva defended the middleweight title 10 times between 2007-2012, while Johnson has defended his strap eight times since winning the inaugural belt at UFC 152 in Toronto in 2012.
A welterweight championship matchup between Robbie Lawler and Tyron Woodley is scheduled to headline UFC 201.
Could Cyborg return at UFC 201?
Following her brilliant Octagon debut, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is rumoured to possibly return at UFC 201 against Germaine de Randamie in a 140-pound catchweight bout. According to UFC Tonight, that matchup is being targeted for the July 30 event. Nothing has been confirmed by the UFC, however, and Cyborg has stated on multiple occasions that she wishes to defend her Invicta FC featherweight title in her next outing. Cyborg disposed of Leslie Smith in 81 seconds in her native Curitiba, Brazil at UFC 198. De Randamie, a talented Dutch striker, also won in front of a home crowd in her last bout, picking up a first-round TKO win over Anna Elmose in Rotterdam, Netherlands May 6.
Cris Cyborg on Twitter
If you add up all the MMA Ko’s by @RondaRousey @MieshaTate and @HollyHolm I still have more. #baddestwomantheplanet #andstill
Bantamweight barnburner on tap
Do you enjoy matchups between awesome, aggressive fighters? Then you’re going to love it when Michael McDonald and John Lineker throw down on July 13 in Sioux Falls, S.D. According to UFC Tonight, the fight will serve as the night’s co-main event. A scrap between lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Michael Chiesa is scheduled to headline the card. Lineker (27-7) is 2-0 since returning to the 135-pound division with impressive victories over Rob Font and Francisco Rivera. Meanwhile, McDonald (17-3) submitted Masanori Kanehara at UFC 195 in January after missing more than two years with various injuries.
