Demetrious Johnson Explains Why He Never Fought TJ Dillashaw

UFC legend Demetrious Johnson has finally opened up about the reasons behind the cancellation of his much-anticipated dream fight with TJ Dillashaw.

Johnson, widely acclaimed as the greatest flyweight in mixed martial arts history, enjoyed an unparalleled reign as UFC champion. His dominant run concluded after a controversial decision loss to Henry Cejudo, leading to his eventual move to ONE Championship. Despite his incredible achievements, many fans and pundits believed the UFC failed to elevate Johnson to the superstar status he truly deserved. Nevertheless, his remarkable legacy as one of the sport's all-time greats remains firmly intact.

In a recent conversation, "Mighty Mouse" provided his account of why the highly rumored clash with Dillashaw never came to fruition. According to Johnson, financial disagreements with UFC president Dana White were the primary obstacle.

The Stalled Superfight Negotiations

Johnson recounted the specifics of the negotiations: "So we were supposed to fight, right? You remember that? I’ll never forget. They called me and said, 'we want you to fight TJ Dillashaw,' I was like, 'pay me a million dollars.' Actually, the first time they introduced that to me was when I was about to fight Kyoji Horiguchi. We just did the big press conference."

He continued, "I remember I was coming out of it, and Dana White was walking this way, and I was like, 'I’m looking for that superfight.' He goes, 'so why don’t you fight TJ Dillashaw?' I’m like, 'so pay me a motherf***ing million dollars.' He was like, 'I can’t pay what you don’t bring in.'"

While this matchup was once a legitimate dream fight for many, with both athletes seemingly keen to compete, it ultimately appears that financial disputes — a common theme in the Ultimate Fighting Championship — prevented it from ever happening. Despite this missed opportunity, the flyweight division continues to flourish, currently enjoying one of its strongest periods in recent memory with an exciting new generation of talent emerging.