If legacy matters to UFC champ Demetrious Johnson, he should fight T.J. Dillashaw

The bad news this week was that the bantamweight title fight between ex-teammates-turned-heated-rivals Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw is officially off for UFC 213 because of a back injury to the champion.

We learned, however, the good news was the UFC had one helluva backup plan in place: to have Dillashaw drop down to 125 pounds to challenge flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in a quasi-superfight pitting the current pound-for-pound king against a former bantamweight champion seeking a second title.

Not to mention there’s the added stakes of “Mighty Mouse” trying to break Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive UFC title defenses with his 11th.

The problem, however, is that Johnson (26-2-1 MMA, 14-1-1 UFC) isn’t on board. As it turns out, he’s not OK with Dillashaw (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) jumping the line for an immediate title shot in a weight class in which he’s never competed. It’s an admirable stance, given the current landscape of the UFC and line-jumping, which generally angers fighters.

But exactly what line would Dillashaw be jumping? It’s Ray Borg, and that is it.

Johnson just last month submitted Wilson Reis at UFC on FOX 24 for his 10th consecutive title defense.

What, should Johnson fight Jospeh Benavidez? Beat him twice already, the second time via first-round knockout.

Henry Cejudo? TKO’d him last year.

Jussier Formiga? He just lost to Borg in March.

Sergio Pettis? Not ready.

And nobody in the rankings after Pettis is worth mentioning.

Johnson should re-consider his stance on not facing Dillashaw – that is, of course, if legacy means anything to him.

Even though Johnson is the undisputed pound-for-pound king, he still has many doubters, mostly those who claim the division is weak. Which I’ll be the first to admit is bogus, especially after watching Johnson dominate Reis for nearly three rounds before using jiu-jitsu to submit a jiu-jitsu black belt in what might’ve been his most impressive performance.

No disrespect to Borg (11-2, 5-2 UFC). He’s a fine fighter with a bright future. But beating him to break Silva’s record instead of Dillashaw, when the opportunity is right there, won’t go over well.

Dillashaw is the legacy fight Johnson has been waiting for.

Accept the challenge, beat him to break Silva’s record, and Johnson would solidify himself as the greatest of all time.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.