Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov Booked For UFC 174 Main Event
History will be made at June 14’s UFC 174 from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, when UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will take on No. 5-ranked contender Ali Bagautinov in the first-ever 125-pound bout to headline a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event.
The news was confirmed by Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com just moments ago.
Currently occupying the No. 5 spot on the UFC pound-for-pound list, Johnson has defended his belt at three straight UFC on FOX events. He was most recently seen blasting Joseph Benavidez with a shockingly powerful knockout at last December’s UFC on FOX 9. Prior to that, he defeated top contenders Jon Moraga and John Dodson in a devastating 2013 for “Mighty Mouse.”
He’ll face a tough challenge in Bagautinov, who is 3-0 since making his way to UFC in September 2013. He last competed at UFC 169 in February, winning a decision over notorious power puncher John “Hands of Stone” Lineker. The Dagestani-born Combat Sambo champion also beat Tim Elliott and Marco Vinicius during his quick run to a UFC title shot.
With the headliner set, UFC 174 also features a potential welterweight title eliminator bout in the form of Rory MacDonald vs. Tyron Woodley.
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports
