John Dodson: I Can Knock Conor McGregor Out
UFC flyweight contender John Dodson will return to action at UFC 187 this weekend (Saturday May 23rd, 2015) as he takes on Zach Makovsky in the feature FOX Sports 1 prelim bout. The Jackson’s MMA product is currently riding a two fight/knockout streak in to the Las Vegas card, and will hope to get a crack at the last man to beat him, champ Demetrious Johnson, with a win over Makovsky.
In a division constantly devoid of contenders, ‘The Magician’ will be in prime position for a rematch with ‘Mighty Mouse’ if he can beat or better finish ‘Fun Size’. Although having been sat for nearly a year now, Dodson tells MMAJunkie that he is feeling fresher than ever:
“I’m going to be good to go on fight night, I feel amazing. I feel awesome. There’s nothing in my mind that tells me that I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for most of a year. I’ve been training as hard as I can and making sure I’m improving every step of the way.”
“I thought I was going to fight D.J. for this fight,” Dodson said. “I was hopeful. I was ecstatic. I wanted to go ahead and crush Demetrious Johnson. But they had to put someone else in front of me, so D.J. catches a little break right quick. He gets to take a little break and see the destruction that’s waiting for him.”
The long time flyweight boss beat Dodson by unanimous decision at UFC On FOX 6 in 2013, and has continued to rule the division authoritatively with his blend of fighting skills and unique personality. It’s a hard sell putting Johnson on PPV (pay-per-view) for many reasons, perhaps more pertinently because of his lack of trash talking.
John Dodson, however, has a strong troll game:
“The first time I gave him way too much respect. I went out there, went toe-to-toe, and I let him walk away with what was mine. That’s my title. He doesn’t deserve to be the champion right now. I am. I deserve to be king of the flyweight division. Not only that, I should be No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter or even No. 1 pound-for-pound in the world.”
Dodson’s recent knockout wins over John Moraga and Darrell Montague have shown that he belongs with the elite of the division, but will he be able to implement that striking prowess with the champion in a rematch?
“I think I’m the fastest guy and I think I’m the strongest guy at 125,” Dodson said. “I can knock out anybody at 125 (pounds), 135 – and if Conor McGregor thinks he’s so bad, I’ll take him out too.”
There you have it, ‘The Magician’ is supremely confident in his skills, but is he punching well above his weight with these brash statements? One statement he really needs to make is in the octagon this coming weekend at UFC 187. A loss will likely see him move right to the back of the queue at 125 pounds, although it isn’t too long anyway.
Stay with LowKickMMA this UFC 187 fight week, as we build up to the biggest card of the year thus far!
