The UFC may have the perfect solution to solve the Demetrious Johnson problem.
Demetrious Johnson may very well be the greatest fighter to ever grace an Octagon. It’s just unfortunate that sweet fuck all people tune in to watch his fights.
In UFC 216’s co-main event, DJ broke Anderson Silva’s consecutive title defence record with one of the greatest submissions in the history of the sport. He literally flung Ray Borg over his head and locked in an armbar before he hit the ground.
It’s been a down year for MMA, but still, early reports estimated that card only drew 120,000 PPV buys.
https://twitter.com/Jonnyboy_6969/status/916877574088941568
There’s a multitude of reasons why fans don’t want to spend their hard-earned cash on a ‘Mighty Mouse’ PPV. One which often gets brought up is the lack of elite-level contenders to challenge his throne. He’s already pretty much swept out the entire division.
However, a superfight with the bantamweight champion could solve this issue and drum up some hype. Current 135 lb king Cody Garbrandt admitted during the recent UFC 217 conference call that he has Johnson in his sights after his next defence.
“I always like to fight ahead of myself, plan ahead. I’m obviously focusing on TJ, but Mighty Mouse is next at 125 lbs. I can 125 on November 4 if I wanted to.”
“I could care less what Dominick (Cruz) does in the (Jimmie) Rivera fight. Neither of those guys are money fights for me anyway. First and foremost focus on TJ. This is a gimme fight too. This is a fight for me that I’m gonna end this dude, and I can pick my fights after that. I’m gonna fight Mighty Mouse down at 125 and that’s just business. I like the guy a lot, but that’s just a business move for me.”
It's happening again https://t.co/wwWBrGbJEi
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 25, 2017
We know what you’re thinking, what if ‘No Love’ loses the belt? Fortunately, the man he’s fighting next, TJ Dillashaw, is still interested in that superfight against DJ.
“It’s one step at a time. I’m fighting Cody Garbrandt right now. That’s always an option. That’s always something. Mighty Mouse is the pound-for-pound king right now, so that’s who everyones gonna want to shoot for. He’s the one with the target on his back. I’m excited to fight the best in the world, so that’s always an option.”
If either Garbrandt or Dillashaw was to fight Johnson next it would be the first time the flyweight champ has ever defended his belt against a current or former UFC champion.
