White explains why Chris Carioso got a title shot
Dana White: “The fight everybody wanted to see would be John Dodson, but he’s hurt. Ian McCall just fought, Johnson knocked out Benavidez, and he beat John Moraga.”
In mixed martial arts title shots usually go to the #1 contender, unless he, or she, has a fight scheduled or is injured, in which case you go down the line to the next best. Thus fans reacted with surprise when it was announced that flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s next fight would be against #8 ranked Chris Cariaso in the co-main event at UFC 177 on Aug 30.
So did Carioso.
I was in just as much shock as everybody, said Cariaso during an appearance on MMAjunkie Radio. I had to hang up the phone to call them back; I had to go around the house real quick to calm down. It was an ecstatic feeling.
I was already in training camp… Every time I’m training, in my mind it was, ‘This is how I’m going to beat Demetrious.’ So when I got the call, it was an easy decision to make.
Anything can happen. I’ve been doing this since I was 5 years old. I’m ready for this matchup. It’s a dream for me to be out there, so I’m ready to go out there and capitalize on this.
UFC president Dana White spoke recently with UFC.com’s The Download, and explained the reasoning.
“The problem is that there is no doubt the fight everybody wanted to see would be John Dodson, but he’s hurt,” said White. “Ian McCall just fought, Johnson knocked out Benavidez, and he beat John Moraga. People are going to bitch about Demetrious Johnson no matter who we put him in there against. Eventually, he’ll just have to keep knocking people out left and right and then he’ll earn his respect.”
UFC 177 will be headlined by TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao 2.
