Last night (May 23, 2017), ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who’s been dealing with back issues, was officially off UFC 213 and that his scheduled fight with ex-titleholder and bitter rival TJ Dillashaw had been scrapped. Okamoto also reported that the UFC was planning to have Dillashaw move down in weight to challenge dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in August.
“Mighty Mouse”, however, took to his official Twitter account shortly thereafter to deny this claim, saying that he’s waiting for his contract to take on No. 3-ranked Ray Borg:
Just so the world know I haven’t agreed to anything still waiting on my contract to fight @tazmexufc not @TJDillashaw if he wants a title
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) May 24, 2017
Shot he can come to flyweight and get a win then get his turn
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) May 24, 2017
Borg, who’s won back-to-back fights over Louis Smolka and Jussier Formiga was indeed originally going to be Johnson’s next opponent, but after Garbrandt-Dillashaw fell through, the UFC was presented with a new and likely more lucrative idea.
From a financial standpoint, Dillashaw certainly represents a bigger fight for Johnson, but he also represents one of the most difficult opponents the UFC could book “Mighty Mouse” against. Johnson’s next fight also holds major implications, as he’ll look to defend his 125-pound strap for a record setting 11th consecutive time. With his third round destruction of Wilson Reis at UFC on FOX 24 this past April, “Mighty Mouse” tied Anderson Silva’s all-time title defense record at 10.
Would you like to see Johnson take on Dillashaw next, or does Johnson’s desire to take on a deserving flyweight contender make more sense?
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