Fired-up John Dodson talks 'inebriated' booing crowd, frustration with lack of opponents

NASHVILLE – Even after yet another high-energy performance, John Dodson still had enough left in his gas tank to unleash on his post-fight interview scrum.

Following a unanimous decision win over Eddie Wineland (23-12-1 MMA, 5-6 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 108, Dodson (19-8 MMA, 8-3 UFC)  took the time backstage to vent about his frustration with a number of topics. From hard-to-please fans to fellow 135-pounders who refuse to take him on, no one escaped Dodson’s excited, and often hilarious, wrath.

First, Dodson tackled the crowd at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, which wasn’t exactly warm toward him after he was announced the winner of the FS1-televised main-card bantamweight bout.

Why were they so upset with what was ultimately an intelligent, and obviously victorious performance?

“Because they expected a more brutal fight,” Dodson said. “They wanted me to go out there and kill Eddie Wineland. They wanted me to just go out there and seek and destroy. Eddie Wineland is such a dangerous opponent. Both of us are knockout artists – 80 percent KO rating for him, 75 percent KO rating for myself.

“That puts us in a high caliber, where both of us know we are extremely dangerous, and it’s a double-edged sword for us. The fact that he can strike at any time and I can do the same thing puts us in that situation where we have to be very careful what we do. And fans just don’t understand that because, one, I think they were a little too inebriated. They just got done with the Predators (hockey) game – this is where they play.”

Dodson made it crystal clear that he wasn’t about to apologize for the dominant display over the tough Wineland – which landed him back in the win column following a split-decision loss to John Lineker that Dodson is, by the way, still not remotely OK with.

Wineland, Dodson says, should be given more respect as a tough veteran. And, while he’s on the subject of appreciation:

“They need to stop booing and look at the art that we have put out there for them,” Dodson said. “We showed beautiful talent, technique, movement – and a lot of people hate movement. Oh my God, they’re all sitting there saying footwork is like the devil. It’s not the devil, people.

“It’s called evading strikes. People, we learn how to fight not to go out there and be hip, but to evade strikes and make sure that we land significant ones. If you look at my punch record, my accuracy is pretty high.”

But it wasn’t just the crowd that had Dodson fired up when he walked into the press room. Having just spotted news of the matchup between Raphael Assuncao and former WSOF champ Marlon Moraes, set for June 3’s UFC 212, Dodson also had words for Assuncao – who he says turned him down in three occasions.

“I tried fighting him now and he still said no, because – I don’t know if his balls haven’t dropped, if he’s getting old, if he’s getting hurt, if he don’t want to deal with somebody that can actually crack him with speed,” Dodson said. “I mean, I know he’s getting old, but I’m probably the same age and I can still see all the punches coming at me.

“And it could be accounted to the fact that I don’t take a lot of abuse, but I believe everybody who’s willing to be at the top should be saying yes.”

But Assuncao (24-5 MMA, 8-2 UFC) wasn’t Dodson’s only target. He would also “love to crack, and beat the (expletive) out of” Jimmie Rivera (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC).

“Because that mother(expletive) was quick to say that I backed out, when he called me out twice on Twitter and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take the fight,'” Dodson said. “When he needed a fight after (Bryan) Caraway pulled out, I was quick to say yes, and he was like, ‘No, John Dodson is a boring-ass fighter.’

“So, if he wants me to go out there and stand in the pocket, I’ll show him I can stay in the center of the octagon. If he wants to throw down with me, let’s see. Quit being a bitch.”

“The Magician,” who also kindly reminded everyone he was the only guy who ever “slept” former champ T.J. Dillashaw, would welcome a rematch with the ex-champ – now set to face champ Cody Garbrandt for the belt. But he might just take fights at flyweight, featherweight, or “even middleweight” if it will get him more activity.

“When I put people to sleep, nobody wants to fight me,” Dodson said. “I fight intelligently, nobody still wants to fight me. So I don’t know what they want me to do. If fighters want to sit there and just see if they have a fair chance, then just step into the octagon. That is the fair chance right there.

“Once you sign the dotted line, that’s the opportunity for you to train for me and know that you have to be ready. That’s all I want: people to say yes. I’ve been trying to fight every single month, and everybody still says no. There’s no injuries on me. I’m ready to go.”

Why is it that nobody is interested in fighting him, Dodson thinks? The answer poked a little fun at Diego Sanchez and his revolving door of nicknames.

“No one wants to take a fight with somebody that’s mentally insane,” Dodson said. “I am the most happiest killer that we have on this roster. I don’t go out there telling everybody that I’m going to be their ‘nightmare’ or their ‘dream’ or a ‘lion heart.’

“I just go out there and do it with a smile because I’m the agent of chaos and I will ruin everybody’s order. The only thing that everybody has to know is that chaos is fair. And no matter how we look at it, I will win.”

To hear Dodson’s animated scrum in full, which we highly recommend, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 108, check out the UFC Events section of the site.