John Dodson likes the chance to face UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Dodson only lost twice as a flyweight in the UFC, both title fights against Demetrius Johnson. The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 winner was released by the UFC in 2020 after amassing a 4-5 record at bantamweight.
Now back at 125 pounds, Dodson said the impetus for moving up to bantamweight was the UFC's reluctance to book a trilogy bout between him and Johnson in the future. So after seeing Brandon Moreno fight Deiveson Figueiredo four times and Pantoja three times, Dodson thinks he's good enough to beat the top of the UFC flyweight division.
“When I was in the UFC, they sat there and said you can’t fight Demetrius Johnson a third time, it’s going to be a boring fight,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “So I had to move up to 135, and I did it and saw how well it did. Then I went back to flyweight and saw how great I was. Please. I don't even know why they didn't choose to bring the other people back.
“They just want to get that flyweight a new life, new fame, new stardom, new star power. They want more power, more money. We want to maintain it like our own system to earn money. Now let's get rid of the older players who are destroying the younger players. Now I really think I can beat Pantoja too. Because there is.”
Dodson will defend his flyweight title against Dagoberto Aguero in the main event of BKFC 59 on Friday at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
