On Saturday, UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson (21-2-1) will defend his strap against Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1) in the main event of UFC 186.
For Johnson, he’ll look to earn his eighth straight victory in the flyweight division, and with such an dominant streak in one weight class, the usual questions have come up about potentially moving up a weight class to take on tougher challenges.
“Right now, I’m not even worried about [moving up in weight],” Johnson told MMA Media producer Rick Lee. “I’ve just been so focused on Kyoji Horiguchi and the next challenges that present to me after this fight. Whether it is moving up to 135 or me staying at 125, but most likely, it’s me staying at 125.”
And when it comes to potential challenges after Horiguchi, Johnson admits that there’s a multitude of potential challengers ready to take on the champion.
“It all depends on what happens in the next couple of fight cards, they’ve got some marquee flyweight fights coming up. Moraga’s taking on Joseph, Dodson’s taking on Makovsky and Formiga’s taking on Wilson Reis, so it could be any of those guys down the road.”
Regardless, Johnson remains focused on his current challenger.
“The flyweight championship is on the line. You got a guy in Kyoji Horiguchi whose 15 and 1, 4 and 0 in the UFC, hasn’t lost in a very long time. And me, I’m taking on a hungry challenger, and I’m going to do my best to make sure I keep cleaning out the flyweight division.”