Johnson, McCall set for Take 2 at UFC Live

Mike Johnston June 7, 2012, 10:16 PM

UFC flyweight contenders Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson are set to meet in the Octagon for the second time in just over three months, but hopefully this time around the end result won’t be nearly as controversial.

Back in March, in what was the organization’s first ever 125-pound bout, Johnson and McCall fought for a thrilling 15 minutes. Due to a tabulating error by the athletic commission it was announced as a split decision win for Johnson, when in actuality the result was a majority draw.

Since the bout was part of a mini-tournament, the UFC had scheduled a fourth, bonus round in case of a draw. Unfortunately the commission’s error was caught too late and a rematch was required. The second tilt will take shape in the form of the main event at Friday’s UFC on FX 3 event at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

“It sucked being credited the winner and then going back there and learning it was a draw, but me and my team handled it like professionals and we were like, ‘Let’s do it again,’“ Johnson told sportsnet.ca in a phone interview Wednesday.

Neither fighter was surprised by anything the other had to offer in the first bout and both are expecting a somewhat similar style of matchup this time around.

“I have a little bit different approach but the fight’s going to play probably a lot like the first one,” McCall said. “It will definitely be action-packed, except this time I’ll be finishing the fight.”

Johnson echoed that sentiment.

“McCall’s a tough guy and we watched a lot of video on him. He came out and did exactly what we thought he was going to do. He’s tough man. He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever fought … but I’m planning on going out there and getting my hand raised.”

McCall and Johnson are two of the more likable fighters in the UFC and have a great deal of respect for one another. Yet, come fight night that won’t hinder either’s desire to lay down a beating.

“I get beat up all the time by my friends in the gym, so I have no problem punching people I like,” McCall said. “But he is a really cool guy.”

Johnson, who many believe is the fastest fighter it he UFC, recently revealed that prior to his first fight with McCall he cut carbohydrates out of his diet and it affected his speed on fight night. But McCall, who trains out of Team Oyama with the likes of UFC heavyweight Shane del Rosario, said he isn’t intimidated by his opponent’s speed in the slightest.

“I knew he was that fast, I have training partners that are just as fast, if not faster and technically better standing,” the former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champ explained. “It’s something I prepare for. It’s something that you have to get used to and luckily I have training partners to help me with that.”

The speed of the flyweights is one of the biggest appeals to the division and there have now been a handful of flyweight scraps in the UFC. Friday’s headlining combatants agree the division is coming along nicely.

“I think it’s coming along beautifully. All the fights that we have put on flyweight-wise have been golden,” McCall said. “They’ve all really shown there’s going to be depth to this weight class.”

Johnson agreed: “It’s coming along pretty good. We got our first main event at flyweight. It can only get better from here now.”

The winner of this bout will go on to fight Joseph Benavidez — who defeated Yasuhiro Urushitani on that same March card — for the first-ever UFC flyweight title.

Depending on how Friday’s fight goes, there’s always the possibility the first flyweight title bout could headline a pay-per-view card next.

“The UFC is always working up something, they’ve always got plans, and I’m pretty sure they’d love to make the first title fight for the flyweights the first PPV for the flyweights, so hopefully I’ll be part of that,” Johnson said.

McCall added: “I think that with the way we fight (the flyweights) could headline a PPV pretty soon. I think for the title fight, sure it would be better for us to have a big, big headliner. But with all the ruckus we’re causing and all the good exposure, maybe we could make the jump right away.”

Where the first flyweight title bout takes place won’t be known for a while. But following Friday’s main event — especially if it produces the same kind of action as their first bout — many cities may be pining for a flyweight headliner in the future.

WEIGH-IN RESULTS: All fighters eventually made weight Thursday, despite the Florida commission representative reading out incorrect weights on multiple occasions, and a couple fighters needing a second attempt to get on target.

Here are the full weigh-in results:

Main card (Sportsnet, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT)

Demetrious Johnson (125) vs. Ian McCall (126)

Charlie Brenneman (171) vs. Erick Silva (169)

Josh Neer (170.5) vs. Mike Pyle (171)

Scott Jorgensen (136) vs. Eddie Wineland (135.5)

Preliminary card (Sportsnet West/Pacific, 6 p.m. ET; Sportsnet East/Ontario 7 p.m. ET*)

Mike Pierce (171) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170.5)

Seth Baczynski (170.5) vs. Lance Benoist (171)

Leonard Garcia (146) vs. Matt Grice (146)

Dustin Pague (136) vs. Jared Papazian (133)

Tim Means (155.5) vs. Justin Salas (156)