The UFC isn’t the only MMA shop in town these days, and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is apparently starting to peek over the fence to check out how green the grass is outside of the Octagon.
Notable promotions like Bellator MMA and ONE are viable options for any high-level UFC champion looking to explore big paydays with credible challengers.
Johnson is in rare space as a UFC champion, having defended his belt a record breaking 11 straight times, he fights this weekend in a rematch with Henry Cejudo.
Seemingly unwilling to fight the winner of this weekend’s UFC 227 main event, in a champion vs. champion super-fight, Johnson stated on UFC Tonight this Wednesday, that he will take the next contender from his division should he win this weekend.
Now, in another pre-fight interview with MMAjunkie.com, “Mighty Mouse” reveals that the thought of promotion hopping for multiple belts is starting to be the pot at the end of the rainbow for him.
Check it out:
“If I was to go out and collect all the belts, now that’s something that’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve proven that I’m the best. If I was to go to ONE Championship, win the flyweight division there. Go to RIZIN, win the flyweight division there. And then go to Bellator … win the belt there. Now this speaks volumes. For me to have every unique looking belt around the world, that’s what gets me excited if you really want to know. That’s where it’s like, ‘You have me interested now.’”
It is unknown how many bouts Johnson has left on his UFC deal. Typically, it’s hard for reigning champions to just bounce from the UFC, due to their championship clause.
