Demetrious Johnson hasn’t stepped into the octagon since a September win over Chris Cariaso, his fifth successful UFC flyweight title defense. It seems that his next booking was going to wait until after the outcome of the John Lineker vs. Ian McCall fight at UFC 183, but Lineker missing weight messed that all up so the champ’s future is a bit unclear. Nonetheless, in an interview with MMA Sucka, he stated that he has a date in mind for his next fight:
“I’m shooting for the Memorial Day weekend card, it’s May 23. I’m hoping they get me on there and I’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
He also stated who his opponent might be:
“I’m going to stay focused and wait for the next challenge. I’m pretty sure it might be [Kyoji] Horiguchi – he’s on a little hot streak there. He just beat Louis Gaudinot who’s coming off a year layoff, so I’m focused on myself and I’m training for the UFC to give me a call so I can get back to work.”
Horiguchi (15-1, 4-0 UFC) seems like the most logical contender at the moment, considering that Johnson (22-2, 10-1-1 UFC) has dispatched most of the other top-ranked guys already.
Mighty Mouse also discussed the fallout of the Lineker debacle, how the Reebok deal will affect his sponsorship deal with Microsoft, fighting at 135 pounds, and a few other things. It’s definitely worth a read, and you can check it out here.
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