Demetrious Johnson to defend belt against Chris Cariaso at UFC 177
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will make a quick turnaround when he defends his title in the co-main event of UFC 177 against Chris Cariaso at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif. A rematch for the bantamweight title between T.J. Dillashaw and former champion Renan Barao headlines that card.
Johnson won his sixth bout in a row on June 14 when he decisioned Ali Bagautinov over five rounds in the main event of UFC 174 in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was Johnson's fifth consecutive win in a title fight and it was his fourth title defense.
Given that UFC 176 was canceled, Johnson will appear in two of the last three pay-per-view shows when he steps into the cage on Aug. 30.
A former bantamweight like Johnson, Cariaso has won three consecutive fights since ending a two-bout losing skid. He ended his losing streak by stopping Iliarde Santos, then scored back-to-back decision wins over Danny Martinez in February and Louis Smoka in May.
Cariaso defeated Josh Ferguson in his flyweight debut on July 11, 2012, but then was submitted by John Moraga and lost a three-round decision to Jussier Formiga.
Cariaso is 17-5 in his mixed martial arts career and is 8-4 in his UFC/World Extreme Cagefighting tenure.
