UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has talked up a clash with Demetrious Johnson for his next fight and told the UFC flyweight champion to “man up” and “don’t be scared.”
The California-born fighter insisted a clash with Mighty Mouse “makes sense” for both he and Johnson and insisted it “will happen,” per TMZ Sports.
Dillashaw added: “This is a fight that will get the fans entertained [and] glued to the TV because he’s fighting me, not just because’s he’s fighting. That’s why [Johnson] doesn’t sell tickets because everyone knows what’s going to happen. I can definitely finish Demetrious Johnson.”
The full interview can be seen below:
Johnson, 31, broke the UFC record for most consecutive title defences in his last clash against Ray Borg in October, retaining his flyweight crown for the 11th straight time.
It was rumoured, though, that Johnson—the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighter—turned down the chance to face Dillashaw in order to earn his record against Borg, per Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting.
The pair seem to be on a collision course now.
Per Doyle, Dillashaw is happy to drop down to 125 pounds to make the fight happen with Johnson, whose last defeat came in 2011. The 31-year-old Dillashaw claimed the bantamweight title for the second time at UFC 217 earlier this month with a second-round stoppage of Cody Garbrandt.
Dillashaw sits sixth in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
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