The sounds of fans calling for a bantamweight “super fight” are all too familiar to Demetrious Johnson.
The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight title holder has had nine straight successful title defenses. He is just one away from tying Anderson Silva’s record. “Mighty Mouse” is heavily focused on tying and beating the record.
Many fans hope he accomplishes those goals this year, as they’d like to see Johnson go toe-to-toe with some of the bantamweight division’s best. For the most part, Johnson has dominated his opponents at 125 pounds. Next in line would probably be Joseph Benavidez, but “Mighty Mouse” has already beaten him in two title bouts.
For years, fans and analysts have wondered what would happen in a rematch between Dominick Cruz and Johnson. In their first encounter, Cruz retained his bantamweight title in a unanimous decision win back in Oct. 2011. Since then, both men have grown exponentially.
Cruz was recently dethroned by Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. “No Love” captured the 135-pound gold with a clear decision win. Most would consider that to be the best performance of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Speaking with NESN, “Mighty Mouse” said he wouldn’t be opposed to moving up to fight Garbrandt if he was compensated accordingly:
“Yeah definitely, if the money’s right. It’s always about the money aspect of it, you know. I need to have an incentive to go up and do it, you know.”
Much like “The Spider,” Johnson doesn’t feel the need to make a permanent move if he is already having great success in his division. Until someone forces the title off of him, or there is a significant amount of money on the table, Johnson most likely won’t budge. It’s up to the flyweight roster to solve the puzzle that has been a mystery since mid-2012.
