TUF 31 finalist Cody Gibson was back in action at UFC Vegas 89, fresh off his Fight of the Night effort in the Ultimate Fighter finale, where he came up just short against Brad Katona. Saturday, he was in action against Miles Johns, an always game bantamweight.
The opening round of the bout saw the pair quite active, with some chasing and working along the fence. The biggest moment of the opening round came when Johns, a.k.a. “Chapo,” got the fight to the ground, settling into Gibson’s guard. Cody proved to be quite agile off his back, and when he was done threatening from the bottom, gave up his back to scramble free, successfully.
That left 30 seconds or so on the clock, with Johns working in a clinch along the fence. Then, another boost for Miles Johns, as he caught Gibson recklessly charging in, and made him pay for it, dropping the TUF vet.
Round two was Cody looking to put there pressure on early. Johns would answer back with an uppercut about 90 seconds in, and suddenly Gibson was retreating— and appeared to roll his ankle. Moments later, he was in on a wild takedown, but despite being bloodied he managed to land it, take the back, and get a body triangle in place. Johns, meanwhile, appeared to have hit a wall, or emptied his gas tank. But after avoiding a rear-naked choke, Johns was able to reverse, get on top, and pin an arm, dropping some ground n’ pound on a momentarily helpless Gibson.
Now, it was Miles Johns turn to put the pressure on, but Cody didn’t stay down long, escaping to his feet moments later. Though he still had to contend with Johns grappling along the fence, and several uppercuts that followed. Soon, Johns was chasing his opponent, landing at least one solid right hand before transitioning to another takedown attempt against the fence, landing it. Gibson, once again, didn’t stay down long, but when he popped back up, his mouth was open as he sucked back air.
Miles Johns went back to the well in round three, pursuing the takedown along the fence. Cody at times defended with elbows, but was eating more uppercuts, particularly off the break. At range, Gibson worked a kick or two into his arsenal, and fended off another takedown attempt. But Johns again caught him coming in with a right hand, though this time, Cody stayed upright. Time was becoming a factor, with Johns likely ahead on the scorecards.
No surprises from the judges in this one, with Johns taking the win on all three cards.
Official Result: Miles Johns def. Cody Gibson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
