Talks of a fight between current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw and Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson are in the early stages, according to Dillashaw.
Both men are on board and are on the same page as to where they want the superfight to go down, which is on July 7, 2018 as a possible co-main event to Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For T.J. taking on and defeating “Mighty Mouse” will simply cement what he believe to be true, which is that he hold the throne for best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, a title that actually belongs to Johnson thanks to his record-number of title defenses.
“What it comes down to is that I think I am the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and to do that I have to beat the best and I can make his weight class which will prove that I am the best fighter in the world,” said Dillashaw on The MMA Hour.
Should he get the bout and actually dethrone Johnson from the top of the 125-pound mountain, “Viper” says he doesn’t plan on giving up either title, and will defend both of them if UFC allows it.
“If I can do it, absolutely. If they let me do it, I want to be active as long as I am healthy and ready to go. I want to fall back right away, as soon as I win this belt — the 125 belt —- and get back to work. I’ll come off and become the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, double champ, I got to a lot to pay off with, you know?”
Of course, Conor McGregor is the first and only fighter to hold two separate division titles at the same time, but he never defended the Lightweight of Featherweight title, and at this point doesn’t seem to be the champion in any division.
For now, TJ is nursing some injuries (just like Johnson) and busy with his new “dad life” after he and his wife welcomed their first child into the world, and sitting back to see if and when the final details are finalized so he can officially sign on the dotted line.