Ryan Benoit Would Accept A Fight With Demetrious Johnson If Asked

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Ryan Benoit (3-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) spoke about his goals in the UFC, including a title shot against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. His next fight is against Ben Nguyen (13-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 193 on Saturday. Here are highlights:

On beating Sergio Pettis: “It was a huge win – a big win for my career. A lot of people looked at it, even myself, that I was being somewhat set up to make Pettis look good. But I think (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby did a great job with that fight.”

On his fight with Nguyen: “I looked at (Pettis) like it’s the same fight I have coming up. I love fighting guys who like to fight on the feet, like Ben Nguyen. I came up as a wrestler, so I like to look at it as I have the advantage with the wrestling background.”

On a possible title fight: “I like the champion – he’s a great champion and a great guy to look up to. But I like to look at it as I’m the best in the world, and if anybody asks me who the best MMA fighter is, I’d say I’m the best. I love a challenge, and I welcome the big fights like that. Even when I was young in my career, I always tried to pick up the big-name guys. I always wanted to fight the top guys because those are the fights that make you money, and those are the fights that make you famous. If some crazy Joe Soto situation came up and they said, ‘Ryan, you can fight Demetrious tomorrow,’ I’d be like, ‘Hell yeah – bring it on.’ That’s just my personality. Skill-wise, I think I still have a lot to learn. … I still have to climb up my UFC ladder, and one day I’ll get my chance to fight ‘D.J.’”