Demetrious Johnson didn’t get to fight at UFC 215 after opponent Ray Borg pulled out after falling ill. Now, the fallout continues. Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani on Monday, Johnson said he’s aiming to return to the cage soon — and noted that the issue of his show money for UFC 215 is still up in the air.
Saying that the UFC and his management team were still working out the money angle, “Mighty Mouse” revealed a number of interesting tidbits. For starters, he’s yet to speak to Borg. That despite the pair being on the same plane flying out of Canada over the weekend.
“Sure enough, me and him were on the same god damn plane” he told host Ariel Helwani, noting that a number of other members of the MMA community were on board. Borg not addressing the topic doesn’t bother the flyweight champion, however. “He doesn’t need to call me, he doesn’t need to text me, doesn’t need to tweet me or anything like that. Just get healthy, and then we can make this fight happen. That’s the only thing that needs to be said.”
Of course, when it comes to getting healthy, there’s the ongoing question of the root cause of the illness. It seems as if Johnson has his own suspicions about whether Borg’s illness is weight related. “If he has a hard time making weight, I think UFC and USADA should consider him going up to 135. They are so lucky I’m not the f****** matchmaker. The John Lineker fight, I’m like ‘alright fatass, guess what, you’re going up to 135.'”
“If you’re getting sick out of nowhere, the only time you’re getting sick is when you’re starting to dehydrate yourself, that’s a sign that something’s going on” he added. “As for USADA, who is part of looking out for the athlete’s health issues, I’d say you know what, you have to go to 135, or you we’re going to have to cut you, and you can be employed somewhere else.”
“I haven’t f***ing missed weight once” the champ finished.
As for rescheduling his fight against Borg, Johnson is preparing for October 7, and UFC 216. He expects Borg to be there though nothing is set in stone.
“I’m preparing for October 7” he said. That would be UFC 216 in Las Vegas. He also noted that show money for the UFC 215 fight that wasn’t remains an issue. “I didn’t get a paycheck. I’m still searching for my paycheck. They said fight and make weight October 7th.”
“I’m coming to fight, and coming for cash.”
