4 Fighters Who Could Challenge Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.

Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him. Despite many people thinking that Johnson has essentially cleaned out the top of the flyweight division, a few worthy adversaries remain.

Johnson was one of the top fighters at 135 pounds when the UFC first introduced that weight class prior to flyweight. He defeated Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Miguel Torres to earn a shot at then-bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz but came up short, losing by unanimous decision to Cruz in October 2011.

If Johnson ever truly clears out the 125-pound ranks and needs some competition, he can do what former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva did from time to time—move up in weight for occasional showcase fights against intriguing opponents.

There are more than a few intriguing bouts for Mighty Mouse at his old stomping ground of 135 pounds, including a “superfight” with the champ T.J. Dillashaw.

Johnson really doesn’t need to look beyond his current weight class for formidable opposition. Not yet, anyway. An upcoming matchup between sixth-ranked flyweight John Lineker and third-ranked Ian McCall on November 8 could likely determine the next challenger for Johnson’s title.

Here are four fighters who could challenge UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

No. 4: Ian McCall

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McCall fought Mighty Mouse to a draw in their first encounter in March 2012. It was in the first round of the flyweight tournament to crown the division’s first champion. The draw after three rounds should have brought about a fourth round to produce a winner, but a judging error that night in Australia led to Johnson being announced the victor.

It wasn’t until after the show that UFC President Dana White learned about the blunder. Johnson won the rematch, and the subsequent championship bout against Joseph Benavidez, and has been dominating ever since.

Who knows what would have happened if the first Johnson vs. McCall fight had gone to a sudden-victory round? McCall was gaining the upper hand toward the end and scored a big takedown late in the fight. He was also unloading a barrage of punches and screaming at the end of the fight.

If McCall beats hard-hitting John Lineker on November 8 in Brazil, then he will most likely earn a third fight with the champ.

Although Johnson has improved significantly since his draw and victory over McCall, Uncle Creepy proved in his last fight with Brad Pickett that his quick-footed striking game is one of the best in the world at 125 pounds.

No. 3: John Lineker

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Lineker has always had a problem making the flyweight limit for his UFC fights, but for his last bout, against Alptekin Ozkilic, he seemed to put his weight problems behind him.

Lineker has shown to have some serious power for a 125-pounder, with four wins coming by KO/TKO. The Ozkilic bout was a gunfight and battle of attrition that Lineker eventually finished in the closing seconds.

Whether or not Lineker can put his “hands of stone” onto the lightning-quick Johnson remains to be seen, but a victory over Ian McCall will likely earn him a shot.

No. 2: T.J. Dillashaw

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The new king of the bantamweights might give the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world some trouble. Dillashaw is a bit rangier than most of Johnson’s flyweight foes and has more power in his attacks while keeping a similar pace to what Johnson is used to.

Johnson didn’t become one of the best fighters in the UFC at bantamweight, but champions need to be booked in intriguing matchups—especially a champion like Johnson, who has fans apathetic to his cause.

If Dillashaw could meet Johnson somewhere in the middle, maybe at a catchweight of 130 pounds, a superfight would make for an interesting event poster.

No. 1: Dominick Cruz

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Cruz has already beaten Johnson. It was his last fight before an injury-filled three-year hiatus from the sport that started in October 2011. He returned in triumphant fashion with a one-minute destruction of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178 and will next challenge T.J. Dillashaw for the UFC bantamweight title.

Win or lose against Dillashaw, a rematch between Cruz and Johnson would be a great fight regardless of the weight limit, and Cruz would certainly be a legitimate threat to Johnson’s throne.