If you've felt a distinct lack of buzz surrounding Saturday's UFC 227 card from Los Angeles, you wouldn't be alone.
One can certainly blame the weak undercard or continued saturation of the MMA television market (less than a month and week, respectively, from the much-hyped UFC 226 and Fight Night in Calgary cards). It wouldn't be incorrect, either, to point out that the two title bouts headlining the card are both rematches, which creates a reasonable amount of customer fatigue even with T.J. Dillashaw-Cody Garbrandt II being one of the best fights the sport can make.
If you're looking to be extra cynical, you can also point out that flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who defends his title in the co-main event against Henry Cejudo -- whom he finished in one round two years ago -- just doesn't move the needle and sadly never has despite his almost universal pound-for-pound king status.
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Numbers, of course, never lie, particularly when it comes to pay-per-view buys or TV ratings, and it's certainly fair to question whether there remains a challenge for Johnson at 125 pounds that casual fans -- let alone the hardcore variety -- will actually care to seek out now that "Mighty Mouse" has secured the UFC's record for most title defenses with 11.
The same question can be asked of the legacy that Johnson, 31, is currently building. He's the only flyweight champion UFC has ever had and has performed as close to the image of a perfectly well-rounded fighter since the division was born.
Not only has Johnson (27-2-1) never lost since moving down from bantamweight to 125 pounds, he has improved with age like a fine wine. He also seems to get a competitive kick out of challenging himself not just to dominantly defeat each opponent UFC puts in front of him, but in most cases to defeat them via the discipline they are strongest at.
The only two times Johnson was ever truly tested at 125 pounds, with both fights coming in his first three appearances at the weight, was when he avenged a majority draw against Ian McCall via unanimous decision and turned a split-decision win over Joseph Benavidez into a first-round knockout in the rematch.
Johnson's almost unparalleled run of dominance since winning his UFC title six years ago in the finals of a four-man flyweight championship tournament has rightfully entered him into the conversation of MMA's G.O.A.T. which, depending upon your criteria, includes the likes of Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Fedor Emelianenko and (most recently) Daniel Cormier.
It's one thing to enter that thin air of such an elite group, particularly for a flyweight who doesn't move PPV buys or have as dramatic an emotional connection with fans as fighters like GSP or Silva. But it's another thing altogether within that conversation to have enough credentials to claim you're not just among the very best to have ever entered the cage, but the singular greatest.
Johnson was asked during Tuesday's UFC 227 media conference call how he might separate himself from the other greats seated at the upper table.
"Just keep on fighting, staying healthy," Johnson said. "That's all. I just fight because [whoever is considered the greatest] always changes. I don't try to worry about it. I'm just focused on getting the job done because it's not my place to say where I stand in the P4P stuff. That's up to the fans."
That takes us back to the question about what's actually left for Johnson in the flyweight division. Outside of the winner of a proposed Sergio Pettis-Jussier Formiga bout which has been rumored for Oct. 6 in Las Vegas (and would only hold minor intrigue for fans if either fighter advanced to face Johnson), the division has been so thoroughly cleaned out that only forced rematches would remain for Johnson. Being brutally honest, Saturday's fight with Cejudo kind of fits that category already despite the fact that Cejudo has greatly improved in recent fights.
Johnson has long been one of UFC's most under-appreciated or celebrated combatants, and hearing him speak openly reminds that he's likely one of the most underpaid for someone of his stature and resume. But toiling in a division void of future options won't help his argument to become the singular greatest fighter to ever compete. Taking on bigger challenges, particularly in a move back up to 135 pounds, likely would though.
Talk of Johnson accepting a career-defining superfight isn't a new topic, especially since he was recently in negotiations to face Dillashaw. Johnson accepted the fight but then was injured and needed surgery. By the time he was healthy, Dillashaw instead accepted an offer to face Garbrandt in a rematch that also included a new UFC deal -- to which Johnson said, "God bless TJ for taking it."
The problem with those Johnson-Dillashaw talks were that it was for a flyweight bout, which would've given Johnson the advantage of Dillashaw cutting down to a weight he has never competed at. In this case, the danger in leaving his natural weight class in order to challenge himself must come from Johnson himself.
To be fair, Johnson knows that and isn't necessarily against the idea. But he has also long maintained that it's a financially-motivated discussion and not a legacy one.
"If the money is right," Johnson said. "I've always been up front about these super fights and everyone keeps talking about them. If the money or competition is not there, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. Obviously, it's up to my management team to make it happen. My management knows what I want and the UFC knows what I want. So for now I will show up to fight the No. 1 contender in the flyweight division until something comes up on the table that is appetizing."
The fight game is often a brutal and unforgiving one, particularly financially if you're not savvy. Luckily for Johnson, he is and has been willing to go as far as publicly sparring with UFC president Dana White to stand up for himself, even in the face of White threatening to fold the division. But the ball still resides in Johnson's court should he want to be able to one day walk away from the sport knowing he tried everything in his power to challenge himself and build a case for being the best.
Moving back up to bantamweight to successfully challenge the winner of Dillashaw-Garbrandt II would go a long way in removing any part of Johnson's G.O.A.T. argument that might be held against him. He has only ever lost at bantamweight -- in decisions to Brad Pickett and then-champion Dominick Cruz -- and could enter the trendy champ-champ club along side Cormier and Conor McGregor with an edge on both when it comes to dominance.
Sure, Johnson is already considered a small flyweight. No one is debating that. But they will debate one day whether he truly challenged his all-time great skills to find out just how great he really is.
