TJ Dillashaw Looking To Dethrone Demetrious Johnson’s Legacy
Although no official confirmation has been made, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is confident that he’ll be booked against flyweight king Demetrious Johnson for his next bout.
Both Dillashaw and UFC President Dana White had expressed interest in making the fight last August, but “Mighty Mouse” elected to defend his title against Ray Borg, breaking the record for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history in the process. Dillashaw, on the other hand, reclaimed the 135-pound title with a stoppage victory over Cody Garbrandt.
Now, it’s quite possible that the two could share the cage with each other in 2018, and if the fight does happen, Dillashaw is looking to ‘dethrone’ Johnson from his pound-for-pound status:
“I’m looking to come in and dethrone him from his legacy,” Dillashaw told ESPN. “He won’t be able to call himself the ‘GOAT’ anymore.
“It’s so easy for him to continue calling himself that and take the fights he thinks are a little easier. He’s a cerebral fighter. He and his coach are smart guys, and they know I bring the greatest threat. I think he knows that’s going to be a tough one for him to win.”
Establishing himself as the best fighter in the world seems to be a driving factor behind Dillashaw’s interest in this bout, and he believes that a fight between him and Johnson would feature two of the ‘most talented’ fighters in the world:
“It’s frustrating, because I believe I should be a lot higher [pound-for-pound],” Dillashaw said. “Couple split decision losses I felt should have gone my way. That’s the way this sport is. I don’t lose to Cruz [in 2016], I’m up there for best in the world. It’s all meant to be. It’s going to end up leading to a great thing.”
“That’s what I’m hearing from fans and journalists — they believe me fighting Johnson is not only the most-hyped fight for 2018, but the most talented.”
The 135-pound titleholder certainly has a point there, but he also said that he brings a lot of different skills that Johnson’s recent opponents simply didn’t have:
“On average, there aren’t those guys who will bring everything in that weight class,” Dillashaw said. “They don’t have the power, footwork, cardio and wrestling I have. I don’t have a gap that Demetrious can take advantage of.
“When you see him manhandle guys and finish fights late in championship rounds — out-grapple them — he’s not going to be able to do that to me. And I think that’s a scary thing to him, that he doesn’t have something to fall back on.”
Who would you pick to come out on top if Johnson and Dillashaw do end up meeting?
