The UFC Has a Mighty Problem Following TUF 24 Finale
Mighty Mouse defended his title yet again at the TUF 24 finale Saturday, leaving the UFC with few options for the dominant champion.
It’s easy to be a little psychic about this one, even writing these words days before Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his flyweight title against the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24. Peering into the old MMA crystal ball, the outcome is clear: another win for Johnson. Having cleared out the 125-pound division as the only UFC Flyweight Champion in history, overcoming an up-and-comer straight off TUF was never really a concern.
Of course, Matt Serra might have something to say about that, but this is a very different situation. Serra surprised a still relatively green Georges St. Pierre in GSP’s first title defense. GSP then worked his way back and beat Serra like the man owed him money.
Mighty Mouse? He’s already considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the business. One of the greatest fighters of all time, at the very least in the lower weight classes.
A win over his scheduled opponent, Tim Elliott, was a given. That the fight was incredibly entertaining, and that Elliott’s style seemed to stymie Johnson early, was merely a bonus. It still ended in a unanimous decision for the champ. That earlier prediction held true.
Therein lies the problem. Just what on earth is the UFC to do with a dominant champion in a division devoid of challengers? Mighty Mouse is proving to be a mighty problem for the UFC. Especially because, as good as he is, fans just haven’t got on board the Demetrious Johnson bandwagon. Throughout their fight Saturday, fans were chanting for Tim Elliott. Johnson seemed to get the MMA equivalent of a golf clap.
Want your voice heard? Join the Cage Pages team!
It’s not as if the flyweights lack name value. Joseph Benavidez, Henry Cejudo, Ian McCall, and John Dodson (who has since moved north to bantamweight) have all made their name at 125-pounds. The issue, however, is that Johnson has defeated them all. In some cases, twice. In all, decisively.
More from Cage Pages
Following his win over Cejudo in the co-main event prior to Mighty Mouse working his magic, Benavidez likely earned himself a third shot at Johnson. That despite being 0-2 in their career series. With a win, Mighty Mouse will tie Anderson Silva’s title defense record. At that point, should he be victorious, he’ll have decimated the flyweight ranks.
A short-term solution exists in a super fight with bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, the last man to beat Johnson. Should Cruz take the win over Cody Garabrant at UFC 207 at the end of the month, that’s the best fight for the company to make.
A win cements Johnson’s status as pound-for-pound best. Yet a loss would once again leave the impression that the man is second best in the lower weight classes to Cruz. And the same win that would elevate Johnson would devalue Cruz. That’s no doubt the whole reason the promotion loathes booking champ vs. champ bouts.
In the meantime, flyweight remains in a holding pattern. The grass is green, the sky is blue, Johnson wins. Again and again. It’s not a terrible problem for the UFC to have. It is, however, a problem.
This article originally appeared on 
