One Championship: Dana White says ‘no one cared whatsoever’ about Demetrious Johnson in UFC
- UFC president dismisses star power of ‘Mighty Mouse’, whom he traded to One Championship for Ben Askren
- But White thinks ‘Henry Cejudo might be the guy that people care about’ in flyweight division
Many were surprised when the UFC allowed Demetrious Johnson out of his contract to head to One Championship as part of a blockbuster trade deal for Ben Askren last year.
“Mighty Mouse” may have just lost to Henry Cejudo, relinquishing his bantamweight title. But there was surely money in a rematch – he had made a record 11 consecutive title defences before that defeat, though his PPV buy rates never seemed to suggest he was a fan favourite.
Cejudo has since gone on to “save” the flyweights by getting a TKO win over TJ Dillashaw, who came down to “kill” the 125 division. Bantamweight champion Dillashaw then tested positive for EPO, leading to Cejudo fighting for the vacant belt against Marlon Moraes in the main event at UFC 238 in Chicago this weekend.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto asked Dana White this week if he thought it wasn’t a case of fans not being interested in the flyweights, but more that they were just fatigued by Johnson’s dominance. “One hundred per cent, yes,” was the UFC president’s reply.
“I had a guy who was completely dominant,” White added. “Every time he fought he was exciting and he always went for the finish, but people didn’t care.