John Dodson: Millions of Fans Will See Me Knock Out Demetrious Johnson

John Dodson will attempt to dethrone the UFC’s first flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, when the 125-pounders meet this Saturday in Chicago at UFC on Fox 6. The Greg Jackson-trained “Magician” spoke with Fuel TV’s Ariel Helwani about MMA’s most high-profile flyweight fight to date.

On headlining a Fox card:
“I’m excited, ‘cause then I get to have millions of fans out there who haven’t seen flyweights and appreciate it, they’re gonna see me knock out Demetrious Johnson. ... I was really surprised to see that me and him are gonna headline it, because there’s so many great fighters on it. Like, you have Donald Cerrone versus Anthony Pettis, and then you also have Rampage’s [Quinton Jackson’s] last fight in the UFC.”

On whether UFC is trying to showcase flyweights:
“They’re not trying to showcase the flyweights, they’re just trying to showcase two of the best talents they have in the UFC. Like, you have Demetrious Johnson, who’s considered one of the fastest guys in all of mixed martial arts. And me, coming up as the newcomer, I have that weird stardom, short, up-and-coming fame. I just came up from ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and in less than a year, I’m fighting for a title.”

On his first impressions of Johnson:
“The first time, I saw him fight Brad Pickett, to tell you the truth. When I first saw him fight in the WEC, that’s when I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna fight this dude. I kinda want to get a hold of him right now.’ And then, several years later, here I am now. ... I’ve been a fan of his ever since he came onto the scene in the WEC. I keep my eye on him. That’s why he was my No. 1 pick for that flyweight tournament. I told everybody, hands down, that he was gonna win, and sure enough, he did win it.”

On who will have the speed advantage in Saturday’s title fight:
“We’re gonna find out on Jan. 26, but I’m preparing for him to be faster than me, so I’ve gotta be sure that I can keep up with his pace for 25 minutes, or he has to keep up with mine for 25. ... I don’t usually face [faster fighters] at all. It’s hard for me to do that, but I keep on chasing chickens, goats, some cows here and there, I play with my dogs and cats. That’s pretty much gonna be my game plan till I can keep up with Demetrious’ speed.”