Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson | UFC Betting Sites

TJ Dillashaw Denies Dominick Cruz Rematch

For newly re-crowned UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, a fight with flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson is the best fight to make. While “Mighty Mouse” has been less than receptive to it, Dillashaw has ramped up the trash talk after once again becoming a UFC champion by stopping arch rival Cody Garbrandt the November 4’s UFC […]

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For newly re-crowned UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, a fight with flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson is the best fight to make.

While “Mighty Mouse” has been less than receptive to it, Dillashaw has ramped up the trash talk after once again becoming a UFC champion by stopping arch rival Cody Garbrandt the November 4’s UFC 217.

Dillashaw discussed why he thinks it’s the only fight for “Mighty Mouse” to take during an interview on The MMA Hour on Monday.

“Why not? This fight makes sense. He doesn’t have anybody and this thing should’ve happened in August. He wants a big money fight. He wants to prove that he’s the pound-for-pound king.

“This is the step. I can make the weight. I wanted to stop him from breaking the record and he wanted to break it first, so he got that out of the way, he got to do what he wanted to do and he beat the record books.

“But now it’s time to man up and get this fight going. This is a fight that fans want to see. I keep hearing them say it and everyone’s loving it, so let’s get this done. There’s no reason to be scared now, you got to break the record.”

As for the bantamweight division, Dillashaw doesn’t see a rematch with Garbrandt or Dominick Cruz anytime soon, especially considering the way in which Garbrandt was dispatched by the current champ at UFC 217 and how Cruz refused to grant Dillashaw a rematch after winning the belt in a controversial split decisions UFC Fight Night 81.

Dillashaw has remained adamant before and after winning the bantamweight belt, which has surely given him an advantage in seeking a superfight with the UFC’s most dominant champion:

“He came by when I was taking photos with the belt (at UFC 217) and he said that I did the first step,” Dillashaw said. “So in my mind, that’s him saying, ‘Let’s get this on.’ I did the first step, because he said to the media that I wasn’t worthy of a title shot, that I needed to be a champion, that he wasn’t going to fight me because I wasn’t a champion. And he came by and said that I did the first step, so I think in his mind too, this is the fight that makes sense.”

And as for his old nemesis Cruz, Dillashaw was clear that he wasn’t interested in the match up as Cruz had already denied him a rematch:

“Cruz can suck it, man,” Dillashaw said. “He’s the one who made me wait forever. He knew he should’ve given me that rematch. He was scared. He thought he was cherry-picking by picking Cody. He was trying to hold onto that belt, get as much as he could. So if it’s up to me, he can wait. He can wait as long as I did. I couldn’t care less. I mean, I do want to beat that guy. I do want to smash because I know that I can, but I don’t care what he says. I’m going for the fight that makes the most sense for me right now, and that’s Demetrious Johnson, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”

Do you want to see Dillashaw challenge for the flyweight belt? Or should the new champion focus solely on his own division?

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Six Reasons Mayweather vs. McGregor Ruined An Entire Year Of MMA

What will amount to by far the biggest combat sports event of the year has also cast a long and dark shadow over mixed martial arts (MMA) ever since boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor boxed for ten rounds in August. Now several months removed from that epic showdown, it’s clear […]

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Now several months removed from that epic showdown, it’s clear now that interest in the UFC’s most recent offerings has been lukewarm at best, and almost nonexistent at worst. Whether due to weak cards or general burnout, the UFC’s cash grab with McGregor vs Mayweather has had serious implications on their product ever since, and that may take months to for UFC owners WME-IMG to fix, if they are ever able to.

We took a look at the six main reasons why this crossover event essentially ruined an entire year of MMA for the UFC.

6. Combat Sports Burnout

The rationale behind Mayweather vs McGregor was that this was the fight fans wanted to see, so this is what we’re giving them. While for casual fans that may be true, the nonstop promotion of the event has led to a kind of burnout that has robbed the rest of 2017 of ratings and viewership.

UFC Fight Night: OSP vs Okami did terrible numbers for a free card, even being beaten by Bellator’s event that same weekend in terms of viewership. In fact, almost all of UFC’s cards have suffered from lagging PPV sales and ratings with the exception of UFC 214, which will possibly be Jon Jones’ last gasp as a UFC star.

Casual fans, the coveted demographic that yields a strong influence over WME-IMG’s decision making, spent $100 for Mayweather vs McGregor, and haven’t really spent a dollar towards combat sports since then (perhaps with the exception of Golovkin vs Alvarez in some cases).

Non-hardcore fans are tired of the fight game for the time being, and while that will change, it will take the right card to get them to order a pay-per-view.

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Biggest Winners & Losers At UFC 216

Last night’s (Sat., October 7, 2017) UFC 216 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared to be yet another UFC pay-per-view (PPV) card ravaged by literal last-minute replacements and uncertain weight cuts, but instead, it left us with a much better event than anticipated. Derrick Lewis’ back injury on the day of his […]

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Derrick Lewis’ back injury on the day of his fight with Fabricio Werdum left a hole in the card that was filled by Walt Harris, and Kevin Lee made weight in spite of a nasty staph infection. Two bouts were canceled when Nik Lentz failed to make weight for his lightweight bout against Will Brooks, and Harris’ original opponent Mark Godbeer was left without an opponent to face.

Yet just like that, the show went on, and the card deliver two heavy-hitting wars and a bevy of impressive submissions, including two straight armbars and a triangle choke to close out the main card’s three featured bouts.

We broke down the biggest winners and losers from Saturday night, and with all of the drama leading into UFC 216, there was a lot to analyze. Check them out right here.

Winners

Tony Ferguson:

Riding a nine-fight win streak leading into his interim lightweight title fight against Kevin Lee, Ferguson was a sort of uncrowned champion in Conor McGregor’s absence.

Ferguson battled through a difficult first couple of rounds to lock in a triangle choke in the third frame. “El Cucuy” showed he can battle through adversity and still come out on top.

Now primed for a title unification bout with McGregor, who hasn’t stepped foot into the Octagon since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, Ferguson is undefeated in 10 fights and is the rightful heir to the lightweight throne

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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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Demetrious Johnson & Dana White Set For Sitdown To Discuss Recent Issues

It seems as though UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is ready to squash his beef with promotion President Dana White. For the past few months “Mighty Mouse” and White have bickered back-and-forth through the media about Johnson’s refusal to fight former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in what could be a record-breaking 11th successful consecutive […]

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It seems as though UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is ready to squash his beef with promotion President Dana White.

For the past few months “Mighty Mouse” and White have bickered back-and-forth through the media about Johnson’s refusal to fight former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in what could be a record-breaking 11th successful consecutive title defense. Johnson later suggested that White threatened to shut the 125-pound division down due to his refusal to compete against Dillashaw.

Johnson joined The MMA Hour yesterday (Mon. July 17, 2017) to offer an update on his relationship with White, claiming that he and the UFC boss are set to have a sitdown meeting and discuss their differences in two weeks time during UFC 214 weekend (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“I don’t think it’s fair when you have two grown men bicker on the f*cking Internet,” Johnson said. “You know what I mean? We’ll end up like Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian. Grown men, they sit down and talk about it, and that’s what we’re going to do in two weeks.”

“It was just a big misunderstanding and we’re going to meet with Dana White,” Johnson said. “Dana White’s a grown-ass man, I am too, he’s got kids, I got kids, we’re going to sit down and get on the same level and go from there and see what options we have.”

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from his business with White, Johnson has also been making moves in regards to his managerial department. For the longest time Johnson’s longtime trainer Matt Hume served as his manager, however, the 125-pound champ decided to hire on Malki Kawa of First Round Management to handle those duties while he and Hume focus on what they do best – winning fights:

“Me and Matt both felt it was time to be managed by, to get a manager, tou know what I mean?” Johnson said. “It’s time in my career to bring in somebody who’s going to focus on that part of business, so me and Matt can focus on what we do best, which is get ready for the fight. Matt’s always been a great manager and helped me get ready for my fight and is one of my main training partners, now it’s time to put that responsibility on somebody else.”

Upon bringing in Kawa to manage him, one piece of advice he took away was to stop rushing into his next Octagon appearance so soon due to his anticipation to break Anderson Silva’s consecutive title defense record. Despite the advice, Johnson claims he will fight sooner rather than later as he wants to throw down one more time before year’s end:

“They’re ‘you’re always in a rush to fight,” Johnson said. “You’re always fighting, fighting, fighting. you fight three times in 2013, you fought three times in 2014 you just f*cking fought in April. So relax, let your hand heal, and that way when you’ll have your best performance when you’re going up against the record, this record will probably never be broken again. So let’s relax, let’s get through this, let your body heal, let your hand heal, and we’ll go from there.”

“I’m fighting this year,” Johnson said. “There’s money to be made, and I want mine.”

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Dana White Is ‘Sure’ Mighty Mouse vs. Ray Borg PPV Will Be ‘Off The Charts’

After a series of very public fueds between UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and president Dana White, it appears as if “Mighty Mouse” will get what he wants, but at the expense of his popularity, according to White. While White and the UFC tried to put together a so-called super fight between Johnson and former […]

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While White and the UFC tried to put together a so-called super fight between Johnson and former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, “Mighty Mouse” was adamant about facing Ray Borg, who he felt had earned a title shot.

“You want Ray Borg, we’ll give you Ray Borg,” White told MMA Junkie. “I’m sure the fans will be clamoring, and ticket sales will be through the roof and pay-per-views will be off the charts.”

“I’m not thrilled with Demetrious Johnson,” White said. “You’re the pound-for-pound best in the world, T.J. Dillashaw challenges you – one of the best in the world, former world champion – and you flat out deny the fight, flat out say, ‘I won’t do it. I want Ray Borg.’

“Who wouldn’t want to see Demetrious Johnson vs. T.J. Dillashaw? Dillashaw calling me every day: ‘I’m cutting weight. I’m cutting weight. I’m dieting. I’m training. I’m cutting weight. Do I got the fight? Do I got the fight?’ Ask T.J. Dillashaw next time you see him or you interview him. Calling me every day, chomping at the bit for the fight. You expect the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world to go, ‘Let’s do it.’”

White and Johnson have gone back and forth in the media regarding the Dillashaw fight, but it appears that the often brash UFC president has given up on trying to make that fight happen.

“Mighty Mouse” very rarely defends his belt on pay-per-view, rather the lack of popularity of Johnson and his weight division in general usually force the UFC to put his title defenses on free FOX cards.

Of course, White’s point was to make him more popular with a fight against a former champ and well-known fighter in Dillashaw, but Johnson stuck to his guns and instead will likely fight Borg, the number five ranked flyweight.

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