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Friday, Jun 13, 2014

UFC 174: Ali Bagautinov Concedes Demetrious Johnson P4P Contender, “But I Can Beat Him”

Bagautinov (photo via UFC / FOX Sports 1)

By FCF Staff

Ali Bagautinov has certainly impressed, since he arrived in the UFC last year, but the powerful flyweight will be a considerable underdog when he faces Demetrious Johnson Saturday.

After all, not only is the latter the UFC Flyweight Champion, but many observers believe Johnson is among the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters. In fact, Bagautinov (13-2) is one of them. While speaking to UFC.com recently, here is some of what the Dagestan fighter had to say about Johnson:

“Demetrious is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the UFC,” said Bagautinov, who has scored wins over Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini, Tim Elliott, and John Lineker since arriving in the promotion. “He is a great all-rounder and has the stamina of a marathon athlete. But I can beat him, and I am going into this fight confidently that I can do so. I won three of three fights in the UFC, but I never showed quite what I am capable of.”

According to the betting lines, Bagautinov is an underdog in the +400 to +540 range.

Johnson (19-2-1) is coming off a knockout win over Joseph Benavidez in December, after submitting John Moraga last July.

UFC 174 will be hosted by the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

posted by FCF Staff @ 2:00 pm
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