It was mid-2017 when talks about a possible shutdown of the UFC flyweight division first floated around. At the time, then champion Demetrious Johnson revealed how company president Dana White coerced him to fight T.J. Dillashaw, with the threat of closing down the entire weight class if he didn’t.
“Mighty Mouse” dropped the title to Henry Cejudo a year later and had since moved to compete in Southeast Asia under the ONE Championship banner. Now completely happy with his new promotion, Johnson says he won’t be affected if the UFC did abolish the division he once ruled over.