Demetrious Johnson Fighting For Himself at UFC 216

Demetrious Johnson is on the verge of breaking Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses. With a win over Ray Borg on Saturday, Johnson will have amassed 11 consecutive flyweight title defenses.

He’s currently the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. He’s already the greatest flyweight of all-time. He’s arguably the greatest fighter of all-time.

Yet, no one cares.

Johnson’s fights are consistently the worst performing bouts on pay-per-view and many of his fights have been regulated to FOX. Being the main event on FOX would sound like a good thing, but in reality is code for “we don’t make enough pay-per-view money off you.”

Johnson is slighted once again this weekend. On the cusp of a landmark achievement and a potentially unbreakable record, Mighty Mouse finds himself in the co-main event, playing second fiddle. The main event doesn’t feature an undisputed title fight or even a fight between two combatants with a history of pay-per-view success. It’s a main event bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight title.

No one care about Demetrious Johnson because the company he fights for doesn’t care about Demetrious Johnson.

Things came to a head between Johnson and the UFC this summer when Dana White lashed out at the flyweight champion for refusing to fight TJ Dillashaw in a potential 250,000 buy superfight. White, as he’s prone to do when things don’t go his way, threw his flyweight champion under the bus.

In reality, Johnson’s refusal to fight Dillashaw showed he cared about his legacy and the division that he built more than he cared about money. He could have taken the Dillashaw fight and potentially made more money, but he was concerned that Dillashaw, a career bantamweight, couldn’t make the flyweight limit. Had Dillashaw been unable to make the weight, Johnson would not have had the change to break the title defense record. Furthermore, Johnson didn’t feel it was right that Dillashaw got the fight over Borg, who Johnson had already agreed to fight.

It’s unknown how much has been resolved between Johnson and White heading into Saturday. Johnson is getting his bout against Borg, but his unwillingness to fall in line probably damages his already shaky standing with the UFC even further.

Since the formation of the flyweight division in 2012, his name has been alone at the top. He defeated Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez to become the first division champion. Every time a question needed to be answered, Johnson had a response. He’s finished guys in a variety of ways. He’s survived or neutralized everything an opponent has thrown at him. He’s seamlessly blended speed, striking, power, wrestling, grappling, and endurance into one 125-pound frame.

Some are hesitant to call him the greatest ever due to the competition level. It’s a valid point, but Johnson has fought the best the division has to offer and shouldn’t be punished for being ahead of the game. Johnson isn’t doing anything different than Royce Gracie, Fedor Emelianenko, Ronda Rousey, or Anderson Silva did.

Others take away from Johnson by pointing out that he’s a boring fighter or not a draw. “Boring” is a subjective term that rarely describes Johnson, one of the sports most active fighters in the cage.

And being a draw has nothing to do with Johnson’s performance in the cage. It’s also not a reflection on Johnson, who doesn’t market himself with trash talk. If the UFC knew how to market Johnson, an engaging guy who likes to play video games, he could be a draw. But based on the sales of EA UFC 2, video game nerds aren’t the MMA demographic.

But Saturday isn’t about Johnson against White or the UFC. It’s not about Johnson against the criticism he’s had to deal with from fans. It’s not even about him against Borg, a 24-year-old who is more prospect than contender at this point.

UFC 216 is about Demetrious Johnson and his place in MMA history despite the politics, criticism, and competition.

You can find me on Twitter @jeremylambert88