Morning Report: Demetrious Johnson on champions calling for money fights, ‘I’m about to jump in that boat too’

Over the last few months, one of the major points of discussion in the MMA community has been the onset of fighters, specifically champions, seeking “money fights.” Conor McGregor made the phrase “red panty night” part of the MMA lexicon back in September and since then champions like Tyron Woodley, Dominick Cruz, and Eddie Alvarez have been angling for the highest profile fights possible, eschewing the more established contenders in their respective divisions.

One champion who has been absent from this shift though has been Demetrious Johnson. Johnson is one of the few fighters fans have been actively hoping would make a jump up in weight, having throttled the rest of the 125-pound division. But despite this, the flyweight kingpin has made no real overtures towards a superfight rematch with Dominick Cruz. That may be about to change soon though. Speaking with Submission Radio recently, Johnson discussed why he hasn’t been aggressive in seeking bigger name fights and his thoughts on the recent trend of champions avoiding presumed challengers.

“Doesn’t matter to me. My paycheck is exactly the same. I think you see a lot of guys who are starting to come out and say, ‘no I’m not going to fight that guy, even though he’s the number one contender because I want a better pay check,’ and you’re starting to see a lot of champions do it. I understand why they’re doing it; because the UFC have made it a point – champions don’t get paid the top dollars.

“And you’ve got a guy who can come out, who’s never lost – I have nothing against GSP, but I like to keep it real – you have a guy that hasn’t been active in three years and he’s (probably going to make) way more money than any champion on the roster – probably same as Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz – but that’s what the UFC has started to do.

“And you’re starting to see a lot of people say, ‘if I don’t get this title shot, this is not a sport at all,’ and I think we’re starting to lose that mystique to where you have two of the best fighters in the world, going out to fight each other to become the champion. But now, everybody is like, ‘I don’t want to fight the number one contender, I want to fight the guy who everybody likes to watch fight, so that I get that big pay check.’ Trust me, I’m about to jump in that boat too, but I will never turn down a fight and I’ll just fight anybody.”

Johnson is one of the few fighters who would likely not receive any backlash for demanding a big money fight, in part because there is no clear cut contender for him to challenge. Johnson’s dominance of flyweight is so complete the UFC built the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter around looking for a challenger for him from one of the champions of various other MMA organizations. The winner of the season gets to challenge Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship on December 3rd at the finale of the show.

The odds seem low that a fighter previously deemed unworthy of being picked up by the world’s premiere MMA organization will suddenly come in and upset the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, but if they do, Johnson might find himself in the same boat as several other recently deposed champions who have faced a dramatic pay cut. For instance, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold says he recently turned down a fight because the “money was bullshit,” (he would later sign on to face Jacare Souza later this year, though there is no indication if this is the same fight he passed on). When asked if this added pressure to his performances, Johnson was sympathetic.

“I think that’s with anybody. I think the only person who will ever lose in a fight and still end up making a million dollars, is Conor McGregor – that’s just because of how his contract is structured or whatever. But you got a guy like Luke Rockhold, where he was a champion and then he lost and now his pay isn’t what it used to be when he was the champion and he’s a little upset about that. I totally understand that. It totally makes sense. Same thing with TJ Dillashaw. I was mind-boggled when I saw that, how Sage Northcutt made more than the (former) champion of the 135-pound division. So I mean, that’s just to show you.”

Northcutt faced criticism for his high pay scale after it became public that the MMA neophyte was making more than many well established fighters despite not having the same quality of resume. Now with CM Punk making a $500,000 guaranteed payday for his MMA debut, that same conversation is being rehashed. Punk’s pay is even more stark considering the career earnings of Johnson. Despite being the longest reigning current champion, and an active …

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