Bryan Caraway explains decision to turn down John Dodson fight

The bantamweight contender says he isn’t one to turn down fights, but a bout with John Dodson at UFC 196 wasn’t in the cards for him.

UFC bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway takes a lot of heat. Not just because he’s a contender in the division and people want to fight him – he’s also UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate’s longtime boyfriend, which earns him a special type of scorn. Things like Aljamain Sterling’s recent callout of him are nothing new to Caraway. But one thing he does want to make clear is that he’s not turning down fights without a good reason.

The number eight-ranked bantamweight explained to MMA Junkie that he was offered a bout with former flyweight title challenger John Dodson at UFC 196, but he had to turn it down. Why? Well, Tate was fighting for the title that night:

“I’m like, ‘I can’t fight on that night. And they said, ‘Well, there’s no one else in the division right now, so you’re going to have to wait.’”

So he chose to wait. It seemed to work out okay, as Tate won the 135-pound title from Holly Holm with a thrilling fifth-round submission finish. All was not kosher though.

An earlier interview with MMA Junkie made it seem like he was calling out the UFC for his time on the sidelines, but he cleared that up here, saying that it’s everyone but the UFC:

“The UFC hasn’t said anything at all (about turning down bouts),” Caraway said. “I was talking about everybody else, social media wise, saying I’m ducking them. Not the UFC.”

“I should have been more specific,” he added. “I’m saying the fans and fighters are ducking people, but here I am calling other fighters out, tagging the UFC. Now, it’s up to the UFC, and I think they’re going to make it happen.”

Caraway (20-7, 5-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since a decision win over Eddie Wineland last July.

The bantamweight contender says he isn’t one to turn down fights, but a bout with John Dodson at UFC 196 wasn’t in the cards for him.

UFC bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway takes a lot of heat. Not just because he’s a contender in the division and people want to fight him – he’s also UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate’s longtime boyfriend, which earns him a special type of scorn. Things like Aljamain Sterling’s recent callout of him are nothing new to Caraway. But one thing he does want to make clear is that he’s not turning down fights without a good reason.

The number eight-ranked bantamweight explained to MMA Junkie that he was offered a bout with former flyweight title challenger John Dodson at UFC 196, but he had to turn it down. Why? Well, Tate was fighting for the title that night:

“I’m like, ‘I can’t fight on that night. And they said, ‘Well, there’s no one else in the division right now, so you’re going to have to wait.’”

So he chose to wait. It seemed to work out okay, as Tate won the 135-pound title from Holly Holm with a thrilling fifth-round submission finish. All was not kosher though.

An earlier interview with MMA Junkie made it seem like he was calling out the UFC for his time on the sidelines, but he cleared that up here, saying that it’s everyone but the UFC:

“The UFC hasn’t said anything at all (about turning down bouts),” Caraway said. “I was talking about everybody else, social media wise, saying I’m ducking them. Not the UFC.”

“I should have been more specific,” he added. “I’m saying the fans and fighters are ducking people, but here I am calling other fighters out, tagging the UFC. Now, it’s up to the UFC, and I think they’re going to make it happen.”

Caraway (20-7, 5-2 UFC) hasn’t competed since a decision win over Eddie Wineland last July.