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UFC Has Tough Chore In Deciding What’s Next For Flyweight Champ Demetrious Johnson

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By @RickLaFitte

Demetrious Johnson meets with the media after UFC 178 win over Chris Cariaso

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The UFC isn’t having much luck in efforts to line up the next title defense for dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. It was thought that the recent UFC 183 clash between John Lineker and Ian McCall was an ideal title eliminator, but things became complicated when Lineker missed weight and then went on to defeat “Uncle Creepy” by unanimous decision.

Instead of Johnson vs. Lineker becoming a slam-dunk as the next flyweight title fight, the organization is left scrambling to deal with the worst-case scenario. “Hands of Stone” effectively eliminated himself from the title picture on the scale, and will begin campaigning as a bantamweight. McCall, who’d been hoping to secure a third fight against “Mighty Mouse”, saw those hopes dashed by the loss.

Finding the next challenger for Johnson’s crown now becomes a much tougher chore. A leading candidate could be someone that the champion has already defeated twice. Joseph Benavidez has been on a solid run since a devastating first-round knockout loss to the champ, as he has posted back-to-back wins over Tim Elliott and, most recently, Dustin Ortiz. He currently holds down the division’s No. 2 ranking.

With No. 1 contender John Dodson on the sidelines until the second half of 2015, Benavidez remains the second best active fighter in the division, behind Johnson, and is at least healthy. While a trilogy bout could be explored, it would still likely be a tough sell, and likely not the preferred route for matchmakers to take.

The promotion is eager to see a Johnson vs. Dodson title rematch at some point in the future, but “The Magician” is out until at least July, if not longer, recovering from an ACL injury. That timetable doesn’t work for Johnson, as the champion is hoping to return before the summer. With Johnson wanting to remain an active champion, perhaps talented but relatively unproven top-10 contender Kyoji Horiguchi could get the call.

The 24-year-old Japanese fighter is 3-0 while campaigning in the 125-pound weight class, and most recently defeated Louis Gaudinot by unanimous decision at UFC 182. Horiguchi is currently ranked No. 8 in the division, but hasn’t faced a top-10 contender yet. While he has compiled an impressive career mark of 15-1, including four straight wins inside the Octagon, the title case for “The Supernova” would definitely have been bolstered further if he was able to produce a finish against Gaudinot.

Having Horiguchi face Johnson next really wouldn’t be such a reach, given that the organization gave Chris Cariaso what many saw as an unwarranted title shot at UFC 178. Not surprisingly, the immensely talented champion tore through his outclassed opponent in securing a second-round submission triumph; it was his fifth successful defense. While Johnson remains one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, he simply hasn’t caught on yet with casual fans. The PPV numbers for his headlining clashes have been porous.

While other divisions seemingly have a wealth of worthy title contenders at the moment, the situation in the flyweight ranks is more dire. There is simply no clear-cut No. 1 challenger for Johnson at the moment, and he’s already defeated most of the division’s best.

The harsh reality is that Johnson’s most attractive future fights would seem to be at bantamweight. Seeing him against the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Renan Barao, Urijah Faber or even Lineker seems far more attractive options than anything that currently exists in the 125-pound division.

Rick LaFitte is an MMA Writer for Rant Sports.

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