T.J. Dillashaw wants a “super fight” with Demetrious Johnson, but he won’t cling onto it.
Dillashaw is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title holder. Johnson has reigned supreme as the UFC flyweight champion since the division was introduced to the promotion. Both men had been linked to talks of a “super fight,” but nothing has materialized.
In fact, Dillashaw’s next bout will be a bantamweight title rematch against Cody Garbrandt on Aug. 4 at UFC 227. The action will take place inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. No other bouts for the card have been announced.
While many speculated that Dillashaw vs. Johnson was a possibility for UFC 226 on July 7, that obviously isn’t the case. Dillashaw wants the fight, but UFC president Dana White recently said “Mighty Mouse” is dealing with an injury. Time will tell if the bout will ever come to fruition.
What Went Wrong?
During a recent appearance on “The MMA Hour,” Dillashaw explained the situation (via MMAMania.com):
“As far as I was told, UFC said they wanted it. They keep telling me Demetrious Johnson was too scared to accept the fight. He might say differently, I don’t really know. When it comes down to it, I am not going to continue to push hard for something that is not going to happen. I can’t wait around forever to get paid.”
Of course now Dillashaw has turned his attention back to Garbrandt. Back in Nov. 2017, Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt in the co-main event of UFC 217. There is no love lost from the days where the two were training partners at Team Alpha Male. Dillashaw’s split from the gym has caused both sides to engage in heated exchanges.
There have been conflicting reports over what could be next for Johnson. While reports initially linked a rematch between Henry Cejudo and Johnson, that doesn’t appear to be the case as of now. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for the new UFC title defense record holder.
Sound off, do you believe T.J. Dillashaw vs. Demetrious Johnson will ever happen?
