UFC 174 results, photos: Demetrious Johnson defends again, tops Ali Bagautinov

VANCOUVER – Demetrious Johnson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) extended his reign as UFC flyweight champion with a one-sided decision over Ali Bagautinov (13-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

Johnson pitched a shutout on the judges’ scorecards, earning unanimous 50-45 scores and securing his fourth title defense.

“I’m the king,” he said afterward. “I’ll stay the king as long as I can, and I’ll keep knocking them down.”

Bagautinov, who stood at No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA flyweight rankings, was the second Dagestan-born fighter to headline a major UFC event this month and hoped to earn his biggest career win to date.

Instead, the former Sambo champ suffered his first loss in the UFC as he could offer little for Johnson, who now gets closer to the top of the sport’s pound-for-pound list.

The flyweight title bout was the main event of today’s UFC 174 event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass.

In the first, Johnson switched stances in order to bait Bagautinov, whose hands stood cocked as he looked for big punches. Johnson got out of the way when big punches came his way, and when Bagautinov trapped him against the fence, he scored in the clinch with knees. Eventually, Bagautinov used the position to hoist the champ overhead, but he immediately popped up.

“I don’t know how many times my knees hit his jaw,” Johnson said. “My knees are on fire, but it was a great fight.”

Johnson cornered Bagautinov in the second frame and pestered the challenger with persistent jabs, punctuating them with big shots. A left head kick landed clean for the champ, as did an overhand right. Again, Bagautinov attempted to tie up the fight against the cage and nab a takedown, but instead, he ate knees against the fence.

The gap between the fighters’ respective striking grew wider in the third as Johnson picked Bagautinov apart in the middle of the cage. A trademark suplex and hip toss from the Dagestani fighter did little to even the score.

Bagautinov lowered his hands and swung for the fences in the fourth and fifth. It was more of the same, however, for Johnson. Any time Bagautinov got close, the champ evaded damage and dished out some of his own.

While Johnson couldn’t secure a finish, Bagautinov wore the evidence of a beating at the fight’s end.

Johnson didn’t call for any specific challengers following his win, but a rematch with former opponent John Dodson could be in store. Dodson was outpointed in early 2013 but has since won back-to-back fights.

Johnson has now won six straight as a UFC flyweight, while Bagautinov, who followed Dagestani Rustam Khabilov in a UFC headliner, drops to 3-1 in the promotion.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 174 results include:

• Demetrious Johnson def. Ali Bagautinov via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
• Rory MacDonald def. Tyron Woodley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ryan Bader def. Rafael Cavalcante via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Andrei Arlovski def. Brendan Schaub via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ovince Saint Preux def. Ryan Jimmo via verbal submission (kimura) – Round 2, 2:10
• Kiichi Kunimoto def. Daniel Sarafian via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
• Valerie Letourneau def. Elizabeth Phillips via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yves Jabouin def. Mike Easton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tae Hyun Bang def. Kajan Johnson via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:01
• Michinori Tanaka def. Roland Delorme via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jason Saggo def. Josh Shockley via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:57

For complete coverage of UFC 174, stay stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(John Morgan and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on-site in Vancouver.)