New UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw isn’t interested in defending his title for his next fight.
Instead, he wants a champion vs. champion match with long-time flyweight king Demetrious Johnson.
Earlier this year, Dillashaw had agreed to move down and fight Johnson to keep him on a planned card. Instead, “Mighty Mouse” turned down the contest.
“That’s the fight I want. When Cody pulled out of our fight in July, I wanted to do it then. I want to knock off the pound-for-pound champ,” Dillashaw said. “He can’t run. I’m coming to that weight class. I want to stop that record. I know I can make the weight. I’m not a big 135. I want to stop that record.”
The 31-year-old Dillashaw (14-3) has won two in a row since dropping the title to Dominick Cruz back in 2016. Overall, he is 10-3 inside the Octagon, with the other losses coming to Raphael Assuncao and John Dodson.
Each time, Dillashaw has recovered from the setback and shown improvements in his game.
“I did learn, even though I thought I won that fight against Cruz,” he said. “I got too emotional. Garbrandt’s team knew that. I knew I needed to control my emotions. I learned it, did it this time and that’s why I’ll continue to be the champion.”
