If Demetrious Johnson successfully defends his belt this Saturday, he will draw abreast of one of the all-time greats, Georges St. Pierre, for title defenses, with nine. The number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world will cross swords with Tim Elliott at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Mighty Mouse” is the longest reigning UFC champion, by virtue of being the only Flyweight champion in the promotion’s history. He has proved himself light years ahead of the competition, so much so that the UFC decided to rally a legion of champions from various promotions and pit the last man standing against Demetrious Johnson.
Former UFC fighter Tim Elliott has earned the coveted spot in the octagon against DJ. The current Titan FC Flyweight Champion beat Shooto Flyweight Champion Hiromasa Ogikubo via Unanimous Decision in the semifinal to advance to the last and most imposing bracket.
Elliott fought in the UFC from 2012 to 2015, amassing a record of 4-2 before being released. He counts Flyweight contenders John Dodson, Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez amongst his opponents during his run in the UFC. Elliott earned a “Fight of the Night” bonus for his Unanimous Decision win over Jared Papazian at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale.
The 29-year-old submitted his first two TUF opponents, Charlie Alaniz and Matt Schnell, in the first round before scraping a majority decision against Eric Shelton. Ogikubo had no answer for Elliott’s pressure in the semifinal, falling via a decision. Elliott won the inaugural Titan FC Flyweight Championship last July and has defended it twice since.
Rumoured to be the last season of The Ultimate Fighter, this iteration saw sixteen titlists from around the world try to outmatch each other for a shot at UFC gold. The argument can be made against the conduciveness to prepare for Demetrious Johnson when fighting different fighters; but Eliott and for that matter, all the other contestants, were under the tutelage of elite Flyweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo, who can count between themselves, three fights against Demetrious Johnson.
The coaches will also fight one another on the same card.
