Following a second loss to UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, John Dodson is heading back to the bantamweight division.
According to Dodson’s manager via a report from Fox Sports 1’s UFC Tonight program on Wednesday night, a combination of those two losses to Johnson, the IV-ban in place under the new USADA drug testing system, and the fact that he’s got a knockout win over current Bantamweight Champ T.J. Dillashaw inspired the move.
Dodson knocked Dillashaw out in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter’s 14th season, then promptly moved to flyweight. He won five of seven fights at 125 lbs., with those losses only against the Champion. He’s hoping to make a run at a third title fight, this time in a new division.
Penick’s Analysis: The move makes sense for Dodson, and because he has the win over Dillashaw, it helps his case for an eventual title shot if he makes a run. He’s a very good fighter, and though he’s had a couple of rough fights in a row – a dull win over Zach Makovsky led into the Johnson rematch, in which he wasn’t able to put up much effective offense – he has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. The division’s in a state where an opening could be there for a new contender, so now it’s on him to win several fights in a row in order to get in line.
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