Dillashaw proposes TJ vs. DJ Superfight
Some UFC divisions lack a dominant, defining fighter. The UFC women’s bantamweight division saw four champions in eight months, from…
Some UFC divisions lack a dominant, defining fighter. The UFC women’s bantamweight division saw four champions in eight months, from Ronda Rousey to Holly Holm on November 15, 2015, to Miesha Tate on March 5, 2016, to Amanda Nunes on July 9. Sports are built of stars, and is hard to see a star in a blender.
The UFC men’s flyweight (125) division suffers the opposite problem. Champion Demetrious Johnson is so dominant that there is no one to fight him. The current season of The Ultimate Fighter is built around the idea of having 16 regional champions fight for a shot at his title.
However, former UFC bantamweight (135) champion T.J. Dillashaw offered a solution, during a recent appearance on The Fighter and the Kid podcast.
I wanna fight Demetrious Johnson, began Dillashaw, as transcribed by Nick Dwyer for MMALatestNews. I’m a huge fan of the guy, great dude, he’s awesome. I think he’s pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. I want to get my belt back and I want to fight Demetrious Johnson. I want to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The whole point of me doing this is to be the best, you know. To do so I need my belt back, that’s first and foremost.
I can actually drop to 125. I don’t worry about cutting weight [to 135] ’til five days before the fight. I’m only 150 lbs through fight camp. I can make 125. I want my belt back, then I’ll fight Demetrious. I’d rather fight him at 125.
That’s my plan at least. My first goal is to get my belt back, push for that Cruz fight.
If successful, that would make Dillashaw only the third fighter to win titles in two UFC divisions, after BJ Penn and Randy Couture. If UFC featherweight (145) champion Conor McGregor signs to fight lightweight (155) champion Eddie Alvarez, and succeeds, then Dillashaw beating Johson would be the fourth.
But that is a lot of ifs.