UFC 226, which goes down on July 7, is going to be headlined by a heavyweight superfight between reigning champion Stipe Miocic and reigning light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. And from the sounds of it, another blockbuster superfight is in the works for the card’s co-main event: a flyweight title fight between dominating divisional champ Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and current bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.
News of this targeted bout was first reported by BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor.
This just in! Per sources – The wheels are officially in motion to have TJ Dillashaw vs. Demetrious Johnson co-headline UFC 226 on July 7 in Las Vegas.
— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) February 1, 2018
Johnson will enter this fight having recently made history by defending his title for an eleventh consecutive time, submitting Ray Borg with a gravity-defying flying armbar – the consensus 2017 Submission of the Year. With this win, the flyweight champ extended his current win-streak to an insane 13-straight. Highlights of this streak include defeats of Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez (twice), John Dodson (twice), John Moraga, Kyoji Horiguchi, Henry Cejudo, Tim Elliot, Wilson Reis and Borg. He’s a ridiculous 27-2-1 overall.
Dillashaw, meanwhile, recently reclaimed the UFC bantamweight title by clubbing his arch nemesis Cody Garbrandt to a second-round KO. With this win, he moved onto a three-fight streak, as he’s also recently bested top contenders Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker. He’s currently 15-3 in sum.
While there has been some question as to whether or not Dillashaw will be able to make it down to the flyweight division’s 125-pound limit, he asserts he’ll be able to.
“I’m fighting Demetrious Johnson, the pound-for-pound best in the world, so if I’m gonna go out there and prove to them I’m the best fighter, I’ve gotta give myself my best chance and that’s to make the weight the right way, very scientifically and be on top of my game,” Dillashaw said on a recent episode of BJ Penn Radio.
Who do you think comes out on top in a UFC 226 Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw superfight?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/1/2018.