John Dodson Regrets Having Left Flyweight Ahead of Bare-Knuckle Boxing Debut at BKFC 28

This time, former Ultimate Fighting Championship title contender John Dodson aims to leave no doubts about who the flyweight kingpin is. “The Magician” is soon opening a new chapter in his near 20-year career as he takes on fellow UFC alum Ryan Benoit in a bare-knuckle boxing affair at BKFC 28. It will be the first time Dodson competes in a 125-pound clash since Sept. 5, 2015, when he lost a decision to Demetrious Johnson in his second attempt to conquer the divisional championship. After that, Dodson moved up to bantamweight, where he alternated results. At 37, the Jackson-Wink MMA representative told Sherdog that changing weight classes wasn’t the best decision of his career. Now, he feels ready to put all the 125-pounders on alert thanks to a big statement.

“That's what the weight class I feel like I'm pretty much dominating. That's the one weight class that I haven't been losing in, and I went to 135 because I wanted to go ahead and not cut weight that much. I didn't want to cut weight at all. Now, I'm starting to regret it. That's the one thing I should have just stayed at flyweight, and then I could have been sitting there fighting. I could have been the champion right now. Demetrious Johnson left, and Henry Cejudo would've been the guy that I had to beat. He ended up becoming a double champ and leaving. So I didn't have a chance to go ahead and make my name for myself yet.”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:49) What happened in the car accident he was involved in 2021
(02:20) Preparing for his bare-knuckle boxing debut
(02:52) Adjusting his training schedule for bare-knuckle boxing
(03:55) Fighting without gloves
(04:30) Recollecting his street fighting days
(05:08) Being cornered by his brother
(05:31) His brother is fighting on the same card
(06:12) Why MMA fighters transition to bare-knuckle boxing
(07:40) Competing in combat sports since he was 18
(09:23) His biggest regret from his UFC career
(10:00) Leaving the doors open for his MMA return
(10:22) Feeling at his best at flyweight
(11:59) Looking for another match with Demetrious Johnson
(12:28) Outro