Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes the UFC blocked his superfight against TJ Dillashaw due to him demanding $1 million for it.
The 135-pound champion wanted to fight Dillashaw at flyweight and become a two-division champion. However, Johnson was eventually traded to ONE Championship for Ben Askren in 2018, where he ended up winning the bantamweight crown and defending it. Speaking about the failed super fight, Johnson said:
"When it came to any 125 pounder in the division, I fought every one of them. The only fight where there was any type of pushback was when I was about to fight TJ Dillashaw because I wanted a million dollars for a superfight. That was a materialistic thing. He was not a 125 pounder. There was other staff in the contract that we wanted but it never came to fruition."
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Johnson is considered by many as one of the best fighters of all time. He defended his crown 11 times before losing to Henry Cejudo.
Demetrious Johnson mentions the curse he broke before current UFC champion
Demetrious Johnson recently revealed the curse he broke down before Alexander Volkanovski became UFC featherweight champion for a second time after defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 314.
Volkanovski became the first person to win a title in lighter weight classes (flyweight and below) at the age of 35 or older. Johnson asserted that less than two weeks after turning 36, he defeated Adriano Moraes and became ONE bantamweight champion in 2022. He said:
"There's been other athletes outside of the UFC who've done it before. Yeah, but that just shows you how big the UFC is... Nobody recognizes any other organization. But that is a big feat. Being over 35. I think I've done it against Adriano. When I did the flying knee, I was 36 years old."
Check out Demetrious Johnson's comments below (19:23):
