Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.
Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him. Despite many people thinking that Johnson has essentially cleaned out the top of the flyweight division, a few worthy adversaries remain.
Johnson was one of the top fighters at 135 pounds when the UFC first introduced that weight class prior to flyweight. He defeated Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Miguel Torres to earn a shot at then-bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz but came up short, losing by unanimous decision to Cruz in October 2011.
If Johnson ever truly clears out the 125-pound ranks and needs some competition, he can do what former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva did from time to time—move up in weight for occasional showcase fights against intriguing opponents.
There are more than a few intriguing bouts for Mighty Mouse at his old stomping ground of 135 pounds, including a “superfight” with the champ T.J. Dillashaw.
Johnson really doesn’t need to look beyond his current weight class for formidable opposition. Not yet, anyway. An upcoming matchup between sixth-ranked flyweight Jon Lineker and third-ranked Ian McCall on November 8 could likely determine the next challenger for Johnson’s title.
Here are four fighters who could challenge UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.