It appears as if the UFC flyweight champion has changed his tune regarding a potential super fight with 135-pound titleholder TJ Dillashaw.
Last summer, after a scheduled bout with then bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell through, both Dillashaw and the UFC showed interest in a bout between him and Johnson, although “Mighty Mouse” expressed little desire to fight Dillashaw, instead electing to take on and eventually beat Ray Borg.
Dillashaw, on the other hand, wound up meeting Garbrandt at UFC 217 last November where he scored a second-round TKO victory to reclaim the bantamweight title.
After that fight, Dillashaw once again called out Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” recently underwent successful shoulder surgery, but he said that he’s now hopeful that a fight with Dillashaw will take place this July:
“Recovery is going good. I had rotator cuff [surgery], labrum and joint clean-out,” Johnson said during a Metro PCS chat with fans (Via MMAnytt.com). “After 11 title defenses and 12 championship fights, the old dog needs to get some rehab. I got it cleaned up.
“Six weeks recover, we can get strong again, and hopefully T.J. Dillashaw can get this match done. Hopefully July, International Fight Week, on a big, big card.”
The bantamweight champion, on the other hand, shared the same sentiment:
“I would love to fight on a big card in June or July,” Dillashaw sayd. “This is a hyped up fight that could be on one of those big stacked cards just like we had at Madison Square Garden. It’s going to be a huge draw. Why not make this another Super Bowl card? That would be my dream because it’s so hyped up, it’s going to be amazing.
“Hell yeah [International Fight Week] that would be awesome. Super big.”
With his win over Borg, Johnson not only broke the record for the most consecutive title defenses made by a UFC champion, but he also essentially cleaned out his division.
Now in desperate need of a legitimate challenge, Johnson appears ready to give fans the fight they’ve been clamoring for.
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