Demetrious Johnson says ‘ship has sailed’ for T.J. Dillashaw superfight

Reigning UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will try to capture his 12th consecutive title defense later tonight (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018) at UFC 227 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., when he rematches former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo.

If “Mighty Mouse” is successful yet again opposite “Messenger,” there’s really no reason for him to stick around at 125 pounds. The winner of an upcoming tilt between contenders Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga could spit out the next flyweight contender, but is that enough to keep Johnson interested?

It really shouldn’t be, which is why Johnson has been rumored to eventual collide with UFC’s bantamweight champion. That’s currently T.J. Dillashaw, who’s scheduled to defend his belt opposite Cody Garbrandt in UFC 227’s main event.

While Johnson vs. Dillashaw, or even Johnson vs. Grabrandt, would produce instant fireworks, “Mighty Mouse” is tired of talking about the potential superfight. It has fallen through so many times that the flyweight king considers it a thing of the past.

“Nah, I don’t think it will happen,” Johnson said in a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. “I think it’s dead. The ship has sailed.”

“I’m just over it,” he added. “I’m just over it. I’m tired of talking about it. It’s almost like, if you already said what the things are, why keep beating a dead horse? Why?”

“Until something comes up, it’s just flyweights.”

If it’s flyweights for now then Johnson may never lose. The flyweight king has decimated the competition en route to 12-straight title defenses and a pound-for-pound title he refuses to relinquish.

There’s always a chance that a fighter like Cejudo catches “Mighty Mouse” and gives fight fans the greatest upset in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, but odds are Johnson is going to continue his dominance at 125 pounds. That is until UFC presents Johnson with a massive payday to either move up to 135 pounds or welcome the bantamweight champion to the flyweight ranks.

Of course, Johnson needs to retain his title tonight at UFC 227 to keep these superfight talks going.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 227 fight card, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FX at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.