UFC President Dana White says the superfight between UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and the promotion’s bantamweight kingpin TJ Dillashaw is off the cards.
White told the LA Times the long-touted bout is “not happening.”
The LA Times report states White later said the fight was “never made,” while Johnson is “hurt and out for a while.” Johnson is currently suffering a shoulder injury and is hopeful for a July retun to the Octagon ahead of International Fight Week.
Both Johnson and Dillashaw – the latter a two-time UFC champion at 135lbs – have publicly clamoured for the superfight, with Dillashaw even offering to drop a weight class to make it happen.
Neither man has fought in 2018 yet. Johnson’s last bout saw him break the UFC record for consecutive championship defences with 11 after submitting Ray Borg at UFC 216 in October. Johnson is on a 14-fight unbeaten streak and has looked unstoppable in the flyweight division.
Dillashaw recaptured his UFC bantamweight strap with a TKO win over bitter rival Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 in November.
After Dillashaw’s title win, White mentioned the possibility of a Johnson – Dillashaw bout being arranged. But, according to the LA Times, this fight is no longer happening and the promotion is looking to book an opponent for Dillashaw’s first defence of his second run as a champion.
