LAS VEGAS — When Cody Garbrandt withdrew from UFC 213 due to injury, T.J. Dillashaw began to flirt with the idea of going down a weight class to fight Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight belt.
However, Mighty Mouse declined the opportunity to fight him, and it appears Johnson turned down a healthy amount of money to not fight Dillashaw.
“I was told that there is no way Demetrious was going to accept the fight,” Dillashaw told reporters during The Ultimate Fighter finale Friday night. “They offered him a lot of money I was told, but he just wouldn’t budge.”
Dillashaw didn’t know much money Johnson was offered, but said it was more than Johnson had ever seen in his career. Mighty Mouse prefers to fight No. 3 flyweight contender Ray Borg, but Dillashaw feels Borg is not worthy of a title shot.
“The fact is he’s fighting Ray Borg. Ray Borg has missed weight half of his UFC career,” Dillashaw said. “I don’t really know what his credentials are to get that title fight. I think mine is a lot higher even though I haven’t fought in that weight class. Like I said, I felt it was a perfect time for me to jump into that weight class because it wasn’t like I was cutting the line. Demetrious has ran through everyone. Ray Borg I don’t feel like is a deserving contender in my eyes.”
Borg is 5-2 in his UFC career and has missed weight on two occasions fighting in the promotion.
Dillashaw now plans to wait for Garbrandt to heal up so he can fight him for the bantamweight belt sometime toward the end of 2017, but he’s not willing to wait forever.
“That’s a fight I’m willing to wait for,” Dillashaw said. “I just heard in an interview with Cody, and I heard he wouldn’t fight until November or December, and I was hoping for October.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
