Demetrious Johnson’s dream fight in any weight class is UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Johnson — currently plying his trade at ONE Championship — is regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world as well as a contender for the greatest fighter of all time.
However, many observers feel the former longtime UFC flyweight champion doesn’t get the respect he deserves due to competing in the smaller 125-pound division. What can’t be denied, however, is the skillset of “Mighty Mouse” as he is adept in just about every department in mixed martial arts.
And if he could test that skillset against any fighter, it would be against Nurmagomedov:
“All my respect to my man Khabib Nurmagomedov — I think I would like to fight him,” Johnson told Bleacher Report Live. “He’s so good about what he does. He doesn’t care about what you bring to the table and I like that aspect about him.”
Nurmagomedov is notably 28-0 and is yet to meet his match in the UFC so far thanks to his superior grappling and wrestling ability. There are other dream fights for Johnson as well, but “The Eagle” stands out more than anyone as of now.
“Or even GSP, even Jon Jones, those guys are considered amongst the greats in the world,” he added. “But I think Khabib Nurmagomedov, he’s one of the fighters now where when he’s about to fight, I get up and I’m like, ‘oh yeah, The Eagle’s coming to maul somebody.’ I think the reason why is because he’s so humble. I love humble athletes.”
Who do you think would come out on top if Johnson and Nurmagomedov were the same size?