Fresh off his first round TKO victory against top ranked contender Henry Cejudo at UFC 197, it seems champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has officially cleaned out the UFC’s flyweight division. After quickly disposing of the Olympic gold medalist Cejudo, UFC flyweight champion Johnson has extended his title streak to an incredible eight straight defenses. With this victory, Johnson is just two shy of tying the current title defense record of ten held by Anderson Silva. Having defeated every opponent he has faced, it begs the question of who out there is left to challenge Johnson at 125 lbs?
Move to Bantamweight Attractive for UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson
In terms of the UFC’s official flyweight rankings, Demetrious Johnson has decisively beaten six of the top five ranked fighters. In the case of number one contender, Joseph Benavidez, Johnson has beaten Benavidez twice and the last victory coming off of a spectacular first round knockout at UFC On Fox: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2, back in 2013. Despite the 2-0 record, a third contest against Benavidez is perhaps the only competitive match up left for Johnson at flyweight.
Benavidez has gone 5-0 since the loss to “Mighty Mouse”. Fans nor Johnson seem that intrigued on a third bout; However, according to reports, the UFC was apparently looking to book Demetrious Johnson to defend his title against the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24 season.
Given how dominant the UFC flyweight Champion has been over the other top fighters in the division, putting Johnson against a TUF winner does not seem to worth the champion’s time. However, with TUF 24 having their tryouts cancelled, one can assume that these plans are not set in stone.
There are a few intriguing options for a move up to bantamweight. A match up against former champion T.J Dillashaw would certainly be an exciting bout but if anyone can make a claim for an immediate title shot, “Mighty Mouse” most certainly can.
The most intriguing match up, that certainly would generate considerable attention, would be a massive super fight and rematch against UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
Before the UFC had introduced their flyweight division, Johnson had challenged Cruz but came up short losing a one-sided unanimous decision. Since this fight, Johnson has put together an incredible record of ten wins with only one draw.
Many things have changed since Cruz and Johnson last squared off. The flyweight division did not exist, the UFC broadcasted the bout on Versus and Cruz has undergone a litany of injuries while Johnson has emerged as one of the top fighters on the planet.
With Cruz set to square off against “The California Kid” Urijah Faber at UFC 199, it seems that the two P4P mainstays are destined to cross paths once Johnson is ready to make a run at bantamweight.
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