Tag: TJ Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw Issues Another Challenge To Demetrious Johnson

TJ Dillashaw was originally scheduled to challenge Cody Garbrandt for the bantamweight title at UFC 213 this past July, but “No Love” was forced to withdraw with a back injury. Dillashaw then began campaigning for a fight against flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson, and although the UFC was eager to book it, Johnson showed little interest […]

The post TJ Dillashaw Issues Another Challenge To Demetrious Johnson appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

TJ Dillashaw was originally scheduled to challenge Cody Garbrandt for the bantamweight title at UFC 213 this past July, but “No Love” was forced to withdraw with a back injury. Dillashaw then began campaigning for a fight against flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson, and although the UFC was eager to book it, Johnson showed little interest in the fight.

Dillashaw then ended up taking on Garbrandt earlier this month at UFC 217 in New York City, knocking out his former teammate to once again reclaim bantamweight gold. After the bout, Dillashaw called out Johnson, making it clear that that’s the fight he wants next.

“Mighty Mouse” has remained relatively quiet since, and Dillashaw issued him another challenge in a recent interview with TMZ:

“Don’t be scared, man. Let’s get this done.” Dillashaw said. “This is the fight that makes sense for you and me. This is the fight that the fans want to see. This is the fight I want to see. Not sure if you want to see it, but man up and let’s do it.”

Johnson, one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, recently submitted Ray Borg at UFC 215 in September to set the all-time record for most consecutive title defenses made by a UFC champion, surpassing the legendary Anderson Silva.

Dillashaw, on the other hand, has now won three fights in a row since losing to Dominick Cruz in January 2016.

From a stylistic standpoint, the fight is certainly an intriguing one, and it’s undoubtedly the most lucrative option for “Mighty Mouse”.

Would you like to see the two do battle?

The post TJ Dillashaw Issues Another Challenge To Demetrious Johnson appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

T.J. Dillashaw Calls Out Demetrious Johnson, Tells Him to ‘Man Up’

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 Mou…

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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 […]

The post Duane Ludwig: Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw Needs To Happen appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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?

The post Duane Ludwig: Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw Needs To Happen appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Jimmie Rivera Wants TJ Dillashaw for UFC Title at UFC 219

UFC 219 needs a main event and Jimmie Rivera needs a fight. So, Rivera took to Twitter on Tuesday to call for a championship match vs. bantamweight titleholder TJ Dillashaw at the year-ending card in Las Vegas. I need someone for Dec 30th and @ufc need…

UFC 219 needs a main event and Jimmie Rivera needs a fight. So, Rivera took to Twitter on Tuesday to call for a championship match vs. bantamweight titleholder TJ Dillashaw at the year-ending card in Las Vegas. I need someone for Dec 30th and @ufc needs a main event! Lets go @TJDillashaw. You only fought […]

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 […]

The post TJ Dillashaw Denies Dominick Cruz Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

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?

The post TJ Dillashaw Denies Dominick Cruz Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

TJ Dillashaw Tells Dominick Cruz to ‘Suck it” on Title Shot

TJ Dillashaw is once again the UFC bantamweight champion of the world and wants things firmly on his terms as long as he holds the strap Dillashaw also has a good memory. Dominick Cruz refused to grant Dillashaw an immediate rematch following their TD …

TJ Dillashaw is once again the UFC bantamweight champion of the world and wants things firmly on his terms as long as he holds the strap Dillashaw also has a good memory. Dominick Cruz refused to grant Dillashaw an immediate rematch following their TD Garden title bout in 2016, following his split-decision victory. Dillashaw had to […]