UFC on FOX 8 Preview: Johnson vs Moraga preview

Two fighters with very different styles will collide on free-to-view television on Saturday with the Flyweight Championship on the line.  Demetrious Johnson will be taking on John Moraga on UFC on FOX 8 ,which will be taking place live from Seattle, Washington.

Demetrious Johnson

Johnson is somewhat an underdog champion as no one every really gave him a chance to make as far as he has in the UFC.  He got the title in a huge upset victory over Joseph Benavidez and no one expected him to get past John Dodson, but he survived to retain his title.

In every one of his fights Johnson’s greatest asset has been his speed.  Moraga is very fast, but most are still giving the speed advantage to Johnson as he can move across the octagon like The Flash.  He will need to utilize that speed to put himself in positions to get some solid strikes on Moraga.  If the fight stays standing, Johnson will have to rely on his speed because taking a shot from the more powerful Moraga could end his title reign

His speed should help him take the fight to where he wants to keep it, on the ground.  Johnson will need to use his speed to catch Moraga off guard and take him to the ground.   Moraga has yet to prove himself when it comes to defending himself when on his back.  Johnson is not known for his ground game but keeping Moraga on the ground means he can’t get KOéd.

Johnson, with his strong endurance, will want to take this fight to the distance where Moraga is not used to fighting into later rounds as he has yet to go the distance in the UFC.  It is here that Johnson will want to go for a finish on a worn out Moraga or simply keep taking him down to get points to win by decision.

John Moraga

Moraga as struggled as much as Johnson in his time in UFC.  Moraga has had only two UFC fights but has been dominant in both bouts against good fighters.  In his first UFC fight he easily defeated Ulysses Gomez.  In his second and last UFC match he made Chris Cariaso tap out to take the spot of top contender for the Flyweight title.

Moraga is a well rounded fighter who can do it all in the cage.   He has a powerful striking ability, submission skills and has a background in wrestling (two time All-American).

Moraga will want to simply finish this fight early.  Dodson showed that Johnson can be dominated in early rounds and it is late in the rounds, when the other fighter is tired, that he takes control.  Moraga likes to press fighter against the fence and lay into them with elbows and uppercuts which is what he is going to want to do early in the fight.  Going for an early KO is also not an out of the question finish for Moraga.

Moraga’s main goal is to not let this fight go the distance.  He needs to finish him early whether it be by KO, submission or stoppage.

Odds

Johnson is the favorite to win this fight with a moneyline at -500.  Moraga is the huge underdog with his moneyline at +350.  The fight is on Saturday and should begin around 10:30 p.m. ET.