UFC legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson says that Sean Strickland does not deserve the next title shot. The ONE MMA world champion recently shared his insights on the UFC middleweight title scene and a potential champion-versus-champion fight involving Dricus Du Plessis and Alex Pereira.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland?
Du Plessis impressed many with his performance against former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. The South African fighter showcased his skills by going head-to-head with Adesanya for three rounds before submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the fourth round. This victory solidified Du Plessis as the top fighter in the 185-pound division and sparked discussions about his next opponent.
Johnson, speaking on his YouTube channel, expressed uncertainty about Adesanya’s future after his two consecutive losses. He suggested that Adesanya might fight the loser of the upcoming bout between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. Despite Adesanya’s current situation, Johnson expressed a desire to see him continue fighting.
For Du Plessis, Johnson proposed a match against the winner of the Whittaker vs. Chimaev fight, dismissing UFC CEO Dana White’s suggestion that Sean Strickland should be next in line for a title shot. Johnson was not impressed by Sean Strickland’s previous fight against Paulo Costa and suggested Sean Strickland seek other opportunities.
In an interview with RG, he explained:
“I think we see him fight the winner of Khamzat and Robert Whittaker. I know Dana White went out there and said the winner of this fight is gonna fight Sean Strickland. I don’t know if I want to see that fight. I think Sean Strickland could do something else, because when he fought (Paulo) Costa, I didn’t think it was a very exciting fight.”
Alex Pereira’s Situation
Johnson also commented on Alex Pereira, the current light heavyweight champion, who had previously held the middleweight title. Pereira hinted at returning to the middleweight division after Du Plessis’ victory over Adesanya. However, Johnson advised Pereira to focus on defending his 205-pound title against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 and potentially against Magomed Ankalaev before considering a move back to middleweight for a champion-versus-champion fight.
‘Might Mouse’ said:
“I don’t want to see that, right? Maybe if he gets past (Rountree and Magomed) Ankalaev – if he beats those two guys, then I’d love to see him come down to 185. But I think right now you leave Alex Pereira against Khalil, and then you have the winner of Robert Whittaker versus Khamzat taking on DDP.
Kai Kara-France’s Opportunity
In the flyweight division, Johnson praised Kai Kara-France for his first-round TKO victory over Steve Erceg, suggesting that Kara-France deserves a title shot against reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja. With former champion Deiveson Figueiredo no longer in the division, Johnson believes Kara-France’s recent performance warrants a chance to compete for the belt.
Demetrious Johnson explained:
“He’s on a successful run, big knockouts in the division. I think right now, this would be a good opportunity to have Kai Kara-France fight Alex Pantoja. I think right now, when you look at the division, you don’t have (former champion Deiveson) Figueiredo in there anymore. He’s at 135. Kara-France just knocked out Steve Erceg, a guy that Pantoja couldn’t finish. So I think you give Kai Kara-France the opportunity to fight for the belt against Alex Pantoja.”
