Demetrious Johnson: I Didn’t Think John Dodson Won His Last Fight
On Sept. 5, 2015 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (22-2-1) will put his title up for grabs against John Dodson (17-6) in a highly anticipated rematch. The bout will take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for UFC 191.
When “Mighty Mouse” and “The Magician” first met inside the Octagon at UFC on FOX 6 in Jan. 2013, Dodson gave the champion some problems early on with his speed and power. The championship rounds ended up being all Johnson and he retained his title by unanimous decision.
Following two stellar victories over Darrell Montague and John Moraga, Dodson was put on the shelf for almost a year due to reconstructive knee surgery. He returned at UFC 187 against Zach Makovsky. The fight was tougher than most expected it to be, but “The Magician” was able to leave Las Vegas as the winner.
Johnson appeared on The MMA Hour and told Ariel Helwani that he didn’t think Dodson earned the win in his last bout:
“I didn’t (think Dodson won his last fight). I was there, I saw the fight. It’s hard to determine what the judges are looking for. I felt (Makovsky) was the more efficient fighter. He was trying to go for the finish and it was a tough fight. Not taking anything away from Dodson or Zach. It was a great fight between both of those guys. I guess for me, when someone is talking up all that hype, say that they’re gonna do all this and blah, blah, blah and they go out there and lay a big egg and they don’t deliver, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.”
Going into his seventh title defense, the 125-pound champion said he’s prepared for the fight of his life:
“I feel 100 percent good right now. I’ve been in a good place. I came off a good performance and I’m ready to get in there and work my ass off. I’m ready to go in there and fight like it’s my last fight.”
While “Mighty Mouse” knew his first bout with Dodson wasn’t going smoothly in the early going, he said he wasn’t going to give up:
“The first time we fought, I got in a little trouble in the beginning of the fight a couple of times, but after that I kept going forward. I was like, ‘I’m ready to work my f-cking ass off.”
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