Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson Is the Rematch UFC Flyweight Division Needs

The UFC flyweight division just got a little more exciting.

Division champ Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his title in a rematch with John Dodson, according to a report from broadcaster Ariel Helwani on the UFC Tonight cable TV program Wednesday (h/t MMA Junkie). Though no date has been formally announced, Johnson reportedly is hoping for UFC 191 on Sept. 5, according to the MMA Junkie report.

"

John Dodson will OFFICIALLY get his second crack at flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. No date is set for the bout (@arielhelwani)

— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) June 25, 2015"

Johnson is one of the best MMA fighters on the planet. He's the only fighter ever to hold the UFC flyweight belt. He is also one of the most boring from a fan perspective.

For all of his skill, Johnson, like many flyweights, is not a consistent threat to finish fights. What's more, he refuses to play the promotional game, lapsing into stone-faced cliches whenever anyone with a microphone approaches. 

Both of those realities bear themselves out in the uniformly grim television metrics that trail any UFC event Johnson headlines. 

But there is good news. The good news is Dodson.

These two first faced each other in 2013, with Johnson (22-2-1) defending his title in a close, back-and-forth decision that garnered Fight of the Night honors. Dodson knocked Johnson to the canvas twice and has easily mounted the stiffest challenge thus far to Johnson's reign.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Since that loss, Dodson (17-6) has won three straight (two of them by knockout). Other than a heavy left hand that is rare in the 125-pound division, what makes him compelling is his status as a sort of anti-Johnson. The outspoken student of the vaunted Jackson-Winkeljohn camp is opinionated and full of personality and has been openly agitating for this rematch for months, calling Johnson "boring" and a drag on the rest of the division.

Apparently, Dodson has gotten his wish. And perhaps the planet's best fighter has his best foil back. If this rematch can't move the proverbial needle for the flyweight division, it's hard to foresee what would.