Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson lives up to billing in knockout win

Let's hope so. Johnson needs to fight. Fifteen months ago, as he was going five hard rounds with Benavidez, there were sporadic boos from the fans cageside in

Jeff Wagenheim | Dec 15, 2013

Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson lives up to billing in knockout win /

Demetrious Johnson dispatched of Joseph Benavidez easily and quickly to defend his title. — Demetrious Johnson dispatched of Joseph Benavidez easily and quickly to defend his title :: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Let's hope so. Johnson needs to fight. Fifteen months ago, as he was going five hard rounds with Benavidez, there were sporadic boos from the fans cageside in Toronto. Perhaps the crowd couldn't keep up with the fast-forward action. Maybe, for the masses, watching little men go after each other didn't translate into a fight. But all who witnessed Saturday night's knockout -- or who watched Johnson's grappling and submission clinic in his previous bout -- know they saw a fight. And a fighter who's getting better every time we see him.

Published Dec 15, 2013

JEFF WAGENHEIM

Paradoxically, Jeff Wagenheim considers himself a pacifist (except when driving in traffic) but nonetheless writes about mixed martial arts, the world's most combative sport (other than driving in traffic). As a veteran of three decades in magazines and newspapers, he's a bit grayer than most who attend UFC fights, even along press row. (A fan watching an MMA media panel show recently referred to him as "that crazy hippie uncle," to which Jeff responds, "Groovy, man!") Wagenheim also has tackled pro football for SI.com, and writes about sports and the arts for The Boston Globe. When he's not on the road chasing the UFC, Jeff spends Sunday afternoons spinning Sleepy LaBeef and Boozoo Chavis records for a popular (but not pop) radio show in western Massachusetts.