John Dodson Planning Move Back Up To Bantamweight
When a fighter loses to a champion twice, it’s usually very hard for that fighter to get a third crack at the title, especially when the champion doesn’t seem to be going anywhere as it seems to be with current flyweight kingpin Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
For that reason, top flyweight contender John “The Magician” Dodson is planning a move back up to his former home of 135-pounds. Dodson, and Johnson first met back at UFC on FOX 6 in 2013. “The Magician” rocked, and dropped the champion multiple times, but ended up coming short.
A rematch was highly anticipated, and fans finally got one when the two fighters met once again at UFC 191 last month. This time, however, it wasn’t as close, as “Mighty Mouse” put on a dominant showing over Dodson.
That being said, a move up to bantamweight probably ensures a better shot at challenging for gold again for the Jackson-Winklejohn product. UFC Tonight’s Ariel Helwani broke the news this evening (October 7, 2015):
John Dodson is moving up to the bantamweight division (Per @ArielHelwani). Anyone want to see Dillashaw vs. Dodson II?
— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) October 8, 2015
Like mentioned in the above tweet, Dodson does indeed have a history at 135-pounds, one that includes a stoppage win over the current champion in TJ Dillashaw. The two men competed on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, both making it to the finale where “The Magician” pulled off a first-round TKO victory.
If Dodson can now rattle off a few wins at bantamweight, a rematch between Dillashaw, and Dodson could end up being huge, barring that Dillashaw still holds the title after his next fight against former champion Dominick Cruz in January.
Who would you like to see Dodson take on first in his new division?
