Who Will Demetrious Johnson Fight Next? Here are 3 Options

Fresh off his incredible performance over Wilson Reis, we try to answer who will Demetrious Johnson will fight next.

Next fights for Demetrious Johnson

• Joseph Benavidez
• Ray Borg
• Winner of Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw

Perhaps the biggest mystery in mixed martial arts today is why Demetrious Johnson has not broken into the mainstream spotlight that fighters like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey reached. Sure, he’s not the most outspoken fighter on the microphone, and the flyweight division he reigns over is lacking some star power, but time and time again he’s demonstrated just what makes MMA so incredible to watch.

On April 15th, Johnson successfully defended his title for the 10th straight time against talented jiu jitsu fighter Wilson Reis. In arguably the best performance of his career, DJ controlled the action standing before locking in an armbar with 11 seconds remaining in the 3rd round. With this win, he’s now tied Anderson Silva’s title defense record. Who will Demetrious Johnson fight next? Let’s look at a few possibilities.

Joseph Benavidez

It’s easy to see why MMA fans are calling for DJ to move up in weight. He’s dominated every fighter he’s faced at 125 pounds, winning fights in a variety of ways. The move to bantamweight may be an inevitability, but it seems unlikely to happen before Johnson sets the title defense record.

At the top of the flyweight rankings sits longtime contender Joseph Benavidez. Despite losing to DJ twice over the past few years, Benavidez has remained a top flyweight fighter, and seems the most logical option for Demetrious Johnson’s next fight after 6 straight victories.

Most online sportsbooks in the US listed DJ as the betting underdog in the first fight. Johnson came into the second fight as a considerable betting favorite. With his massive string of victories, it seems likely that most US MMA betting sites like Intertops would list DJ as the considerable betting favorite if they go for round 3.

Ray Borg

In a division desperately in need of young talent, Ray Borg is the man many fans are looking at. The New Mexico native is now 5-2 in the UFC, but seems to have turned a corner since losing to Justin Scoggins back in February of 2016.

Everyone’s now wondering who will Demetrious Johnson fight next, and the answer may be Borg. At 23 years of age, he’s already reached the number 4 spot in the rankings thanks to his incredible pressure and dominating ground game.

Demetrious Johnson has shown almost no holes in his game since becoming champion, but his losses (and one draw) have come against fighters who are able to take him down and control from the top. Borg’s most recent victory over Louis Smolka showed his ability to smother opponents, and he may have the skills to make US gambling news by imposing his game on DJ.

Winner of Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw

One of the most enticing options concerning who will Demetrious Johnson fight next is him moving up to bantamweight to take on the winner of Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw. These two rivals will be facing off in July to coincide with the ending of the Ultimate Fighter 25 season.

Even the best MMA betting experts are having a tough time predicting who will win this fight of former training partners. Garbrandt has looked incredible in the UFC, most recently defeating Dominick Cruz to win the belt. Dillashaw is the former champ with two straight dominant wins since losing the belt.

Intertops lists Garbrandt as the slight betting favorite with odds of 1.74. Dillashaw is coming in as a great MMA underdog betting option with odds of 2.05. If DJ manages to defend his belt in the next few months, it seems likely that he’ll move up in weight to challenge for a second title.

Who will Demetrious Johnson fight next? Will it be one of the fighters we listed here? Tell us what you think in the comment section below, and make sure to check out Intertops for a full list of 2017 MMA betting odds!