5 best Demetrious Johnson finishes in the UFC

Demetrious Johnson, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has enjoyed a stellar career so far. He plied his trade in the UFC for seven years before moving to ONE Championship, where he continues to add to his incredible legacy.

For over half a decade, Johnson ruled over the UFC flyweight division with an iron fist. After becoming the champion in 2012, 'Mighty Mouse' defended his title 11 times, cleaning out a whole weight class of fighters. During his time atop the ladder at 125 pounds, he produced some sensational highlights and finishes that left MMA fans utterly speechless.

Johnson will always be remembered as one of the best fighters to ever grace the octagon. On that note, we thought we'd take a look at his five best performances in the UFC.

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#5. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo

After winning the flyweight title at UFC 152 in 2012, Demetrious Johnson defended his belt seven times and was looking for an eighth title defense when he took on Henry Cejudo at UFC 197 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cejudo was undefeated at the time and presented a unique stylistic matchup for Johnson.

Up until the fight against Cejudo, Johnson's wins in the UFC mostly came via decisions and submissions. While his skills were unquestionably dangerous, he didn't have a reputation for being as vicious and merciless as some of the other UFC champions at the time, like Jon Jones.

Cejudo's Olympic wrestling background prompted many to believe that Johnson would find it difficult to secure a takedown and that he'd be forced to stay on the feet.

'Mighty Mouse' faced some early adversity in the fight as he was taken down inside the first two minutes. The champion managed to get back up and in the clinch, landed some brutal knees to the body, which folded the challenger and efftectively finished the fight. Johnson successfully defended his title for the eighth time, showing new layers to his game in the process.

Watch the highlights from the Johnson vs. Cejudo 1 fight week and championship bout below:

#4. Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga

Looking back at Demetrious Johnson's incredible career, his stellar submissions and dominant performances stand out as memorable highlights. However, there was a period early on in his MMA career when 'Mighty Mouse' was considered by many to be a boring fighter.

Between 2011 and 2013, Johnson went 5-1-1, with his lone loss coming against then-bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. However, all seven of these bouts went to the judges' decision. At UFC on FOX 8, he took on John Moraga in the main event with his flyweight title on the line. Considering Moraga's durability, many were expecting another 25-minute affair.

As he's done in almost all his fights, Johnson was one step ahead of his opponent throughout. On the feet, there was a clear speed difference between him and Moraga, and on the ground, 'Mighty Mouse' dominated every exchange. He looked to be en route to another decision victory.

With a little over a minute left on the clock in the final round, he grabbed Moraga's forearm and secured an armbar. Johnson's elation at finally getting a finish was clear as day, as he joyfully celebrated moments after the referee called a halt to the action.

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#3. Demetrious Johnson vs. Wilson Reis

With nine title defenses in the bag, Demetrious Johnson was on the cusp of making history going into his championship bout against Wilson Reis at UFC on FOX 24. At the time, former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva held the record for most UFC title defenses at 10. Johnson was looking to join 'The Spider' in the record books with a win over Reis.

As is the case with most fights involving 'Mighty Mouse', the dominant flyweight champion was rarely in trouble. Johnson toyed with Reis for almost three whole rounds and the challenger looked out of his depth towards the end of the third frame.

With just one second remaining in the third, Johnson locked in a tight armbar on a bloody and battered Reis. The Brazilian tapped, handing the dominant American titleholder a record-equalling victory.

#4. Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

UFC 186 went down at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was headlined by a flyweight championship showdown between Demetrious Johnson and Kyoji Horiguchi.

Horiguchi earned his shot at the title after putting together a four-fight win streak comprising two TKO finishes. He was looking to become the first-ever Japanese UFC champion, while Johnson was eyeing a sixth defense of his flyweight belt going into the bout.

Johnson and Horiguchi duked it out for nearly 25 minutes straight, with the champion dominating most of the exchanges on the feet and the mat. He looked set to bag a unanimous decision victory and a sixth title defense as the clock wound down in the final round of the bout.

In the last 10 seconds, Johnson secured the crucifix position and landed heavy blows on the challenger. With just one second left on the clock, the American champion snatched Horiguchi's arm, forcing his Japanese counterpart to tap.

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#5. Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg

Demetrious Johnson's most impressive performance in the octagon came in his final win in the UFC. With 10 title defenses under his name already, Johnson was level with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva and was looking to become the most dominant champion in the history of the promotion with one more victory.

He took on Ray Borg in the co-main event of UFC 216, which went down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While Borg put on a hearty display, he was thoroughly dominated by Johnson on the mat. 'Mighty Mouse' outwrestled the challenger for four rounds and was seemingly ahead on the scorecards going into the fifth.

Borg enjoyed moments of success in the first few minutes of the final round. Three minutes in, Johnson took his back and proceeded to suplex him. Incredibly, halfway through the suplex, the flyweight king secured an armbar mid-air, forcing his opponent to tap.

The stunning submission win over Ray Borg marked Demetrious Johnson's 11th title defense. Johnson's UFC record for title defenses stands to this day and remains unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.