Demetrious Johnson's incredible run of domination through the UFC's flyweight division continued on Saturday with quite possibly the most thorough and impressive destruction of his increasingly legendary career.
Johnson (26-2-1), who holds almost universal acclaim as the world's best fighter, equaled Anderson Silva's company record with his 10th title defense in a third-round submission win over Wilson Reis at UFC Kansas City.
The only 125-pound champion in UFC history showcased every one of his great attributes in this one, stuffing takedowns and landing quick strikes on his feet before dominating the grappling specialist Reis (22-7) on the ground, leaving him bloodied and bewildered by the fight's end.
"This is probably the best training camp I have ever had," Johnson said. "[Trainer] Matt Hume was just like, 'Dude, just be you. Just be you, you know?' I went back and did a lot of things different in this camp and it's the best I ever felt."
Johnson, 30, summed up his victory as simple as he could by saying, "It was a good damn night." But there was nothing simple about how easy he made his domination of Reis look.
Reis, a native of Brazil, was never able to land more than one strike at a time and was constantly kept off balance as Johnson switched stances and used a series of clever inside leg kicks to control distance. He then followed it up with a series of clean punches from multiple angles.
Johnson nearly ended the fight late in Round 2 by flooring Reis with a knee to the body before following up with a vicious series of hammerfists and short elbows until the final horn. Johnson used a body kick and more punches to floor Reis in Round 3 before bloodying him with strikes and applying an arm bar to force the tap at 4:49.
Asked after the fight whether he would seek a record 11th title defense at flyweight or move up to bantamweight to face the winner of champion Cody Garbrandt against TJ Dillashaw, Johnson said it comes down to money.
"I already told Dana White, I need seven figures," Johnson said. "I need a $1 million payday. I'm out here whooping and cleaning up. Every time we step into the Octagon, we bring it."
Johnson won a tournament in 2012 to claim the inaugural flyweight title by split decision over Joseph Benavidez. Three fights later, he knocked out Benavidez in Round 1 of their rematch and in many ways hasn't been challenged since.
