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During his reign as UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson mostly steered clear of any trash talk. But one instance where DJ was involved in a heated rivalry was against former UFC flyweight John Dodson.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Demetrious Johnson addressed fighters calling him out on social media. The former UFC P4P No. 1 made it clear he doesn't let trash talk alter his mindset.
"Nothing at all, no reaction whatsoever. I take it in and I digest it and I just, you know, go about my day. You know, I don't let anybody get into my head.
But the only fighter who came close to agitating Demetrious Johnson was John Dodson. The two former rivals fought twice in the UFC. DJ admitted Dodson was the only fighter who irked him in his 14 year-long MMA career:
"I think the one person that ever irked by or irritated me was just John Dodson. But other than that there has never been an athlete that ever did it."
Their first meeting took place in 2013, when Demetrious Johnson controlled most of the fight before almost finishing 'The Magician' in the fifth round. Following a stellar back-and-forth, both fighters were awarded the Fight of the Night bonus.
The second time Johnson and Dodson crossed paths was at UFC 191. Dodson was determined to avenge his loss to 'Mighty Mouse.' In an interview leading up to the event, John Dodson fired multiple shots at Demetrious Johnson, threatening to 'murder' the former champion:
"I’m going to hit him more and more and more until somebody pulls me off of his lifeless corpse. I’m going to dribble his head off the canvas like it’s a basketball and I’m playing in the NBA Finals. I will walk through him and destroy his whole life, his whole meaning and purpose. I’ll be the man that he wishes he was. Everybody’s wondering what I’m going to do? It’s going to be murder, death, kill. I’m going to murder Demetrious Johnson," said John Dodson.
John Dodson was released from the UFC in 2020
After John Dodson lost three of his last four UFC fights, the promotion decided to cut the 36-year-old from the roster. The decision came after Dodson lost to Merab Dvalishvili (UFC 252), adding the 12th loss to his MMA resume.
If John Dodson decides to venture into Singapore-based MMA promotion ONE Championship, a trilogy with Demetrious Johnson could be on the cards. DJ is currently slated to fight Adriano Moraes on April 7th.
