Tag: Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson vs Ray Borg

Duane Ludwig: Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw Needs To Happen

Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s head coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig is more than confident in his star pupil’s ability to make 125 pounds. Now that Dillashaw is once again champion, the push for a super fight with flyweight kingpin Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson seems to be inevitable. Both Dana White and Dillashaw have actively campaigned for […]

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Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s head coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig is more than confident in his star pupil’s ability to make 125 pounds.

Now that Dillashaw is once again champion, the push for a super fight with flyweight kingpin Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson seems to be inevitable. Both Dana White and Dillashaw have actively campaigned for the bout.

Now, the question is can Dillashaw make flyweight? Ludwig says he absolutely can:

“We were en route to fight Demetrious at one point and the direction he was taking with his strength and conditioning coach, T.J. was looking phenomenal on the mitts and the sparring and the training and he looked good, his spirits were good,” Ludwig said. “So obviously we didn’t make 125 and fight and compete, but when were were en route of that, nothing really changed. T.J.’s not a big ‘35er, so he can make ‘25. It’s not going to be easy, but he’s the most dedicated person that I’ve ever seen. He really is.”

Dillashaw took back the bantamweight belt after knocking out undefeated champ Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217. He had prior campaigned for the “Mighty Mouse” fight when Ray Borg had pulled out of his first scheduled fight with the flyweight champ at UFC 215. Johnson opted to wait to fight Borg at UFC 216 rather than take on Dillashaw.

With “Mighty Mouse” lacking a bit in terms of PPV sales, a super fight with the bantamweight champion could prove to be a hit for sales and PPV buys. Demetrious Johnson has also cleared out his division two times over, and is in desperate need of fresh title challengers, according to Ludwig:

“I think it needs to happen,” Ludwig said. “Demetrious, he’s fighting the top guys – this works out because (Joseph) Benavidez is out right now, he’s still having to wait a couple of months with his knee surgery, so it works out time-wise, so in my eyes I would like to see T.J. drop down, fight Demetrious, and then go back to ‘35.”

Are you behind a Dillashaw vs “Mighty Mouse” super fight? Can TJ make flyweight?

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Kevin Lee Thinks Demetrious Johnson Should Be ‘Thanking Him’ For UFC 216

UFC 216 headliner Kevin Lee has risen from relative obscurity to fighting for the interim lightweight title in a little over a year. Now riding an impressive five-fight win streak including four finishes in a row, Lee is set to take on Tony Ferguson in the main event of the pay-per-view (PPV) card from Las […]

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UFC 216 headliner Kevin Lee has risen from relative obscurity to fighting for the interim lightweight title in a little over a year.

Now riding an impressive five-fight win streak including four finishes in a row, Lee is set to take on Tony Ferguson in the main event of the pay-per-view (PPV) card from Las Vegas on October 7, while longtime flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson takes a back seat as he attempts to secure his record-seeking 11th title defense in a row against Ray Borg in the co-main.

While it may seem unfair for Lee to headline UFC 216 over the far more accomplished ‘Mighty Mouse,’ the Detroit, Michigan native actually sees it as favorable for the flyweight champ, who has historically not been a ratings draw compared to his fellow UFC champion colleagues.

““I think that’s the way it should be. The UFC knows that…

“Look, Demetrious if anything, Demetrious should be thanking me. He’s getting pay-per-view points for the first time in his career, and it’s going to be because of me. So, if anything, I’m looking for a lil’ Christmas gift from Demetrious… I think the demand is definitely out here, more for this fight, than especially Demetrious vs. Ray Borg. I mean come on. Demetrious has to give it up to me. I’m putting money in his pocket; how can he be upset? When we do the press conference, and I’m sitting right next to him, I’ll let him know.”

Johnson notoriously turned down a super fight with former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in favor of a fight with the far lesser-known Borg, much to the public chagrin of UFC President Dana White.

The Borg fight was initially scheduled for September’s UFC 215; however, a last-minute illness forced the challenger out of the fight and off the card.

Whether or not Johnson’s refusal to fight Dillashaw played any part in his taking a back seat to Lee vs Ferguson remains unknown, but Lee figures his fight with Ferguson is the main event for a reason.

“I think people are excited to see more out of me, and I’m excited to show it to them. Tony, he can take a shot. He can keep moving. He even scrambles well on the ground. I feel like we will have a lot of different exchanges, a lot of momentum. I’m excited for it.”

Do you agree with Lee vs. Ferguson headlining over ‘Mighty Mouse’s attempt to make history?

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Fighters Blast Weight Cutting After Ray Borg’s UFC 215 Withdrawal

UFC fighters have voiced their opinions on Ray Borg’s removal from UFC 215 just a day-and-a-half before his scheduled fight with Demetrious Johnson. While Borg has denied that weight-cutting issues were the issue, all signs point to a difficult drop to 125 pounds, which is a weight that has caused Borg to be pulled from […]

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UFC fighters have voiced their opinions on Ray Borg’s removal from UFC 215 just a day-and-a-half before his scheduled fight with Demetrious Johnson.

While Borg has denied that weight-cutting issues were the issue, all signs point to a difficult drop to 125 pounds, which is a weight that has caused Borg to be pulled from fights in the past.

Two prominent fellow UFC fighters took to Twitter, and both of them agreed on one thing: more weight classes.

Women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who is actually filling in as headliner after “Mighty Mouse” and Borg were pulled from the card, felt the same way after a particularly brutal weight cut prior to UFC 213:

“I was unable to (breathe) and felt off-balance from the pressure in my sinuses,” Nunes said of her weight cut for UFC 213.

Like Borg, Nunes didn’t make it to fight night at UFC 213, and instead will defend her belt against Valentina Schevchenko in the main event of UFC 215 on Saturday, the same main even though Borg was scheduled to fight in against Demetrious Johnson.

The issue of weight cutting has become such a problem that USADA now has rules regarding how much weight a fighter is allowed to cut based on their body weight.

Do you want to see more weight division ls in the UFC? Is weight cutting as big of an issue as it’s being made out to be?

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