There may be no remaining contenders in the UFC flyweight fold, but that doesn't bother Demetrious Johnson.

"I don't give a damn," the 125-pound champion said when asked about the lack of depth in his division. 

Because of this, life is not necessarily easy at the top for the champion. Johnson may not face some of the problems his peers in the lower ranks struggle with, but there are still aspects of his life as champion that are not perfect. 

Exhibit A: There were so few fresh, worthy contenders for Johnson that the UFC had to recruit flyweight champions from around the world to find a man hopefully competent enough to put up a good fight.

"When I sat down with the UFC and they showed me the concept, I was like, 'OK, I'm all for it,'" Johnson said at the media day promoting the "The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale" taking place this Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas.


Apr 23, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Demetrious Johnson (red gloves) knocks down Henry Cejudo (blue gloves) during UFC 197 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Elliott emerged as the eventual winner of the 16-man tournament. The Kansas-based fighter is a familiar face not only for Johnson but also for many of the UFC's more diligent fans. Elliott already competed in the UFC from 2012 to 2015, facing the likes of John Dodson, Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez inside the Octagon.

"I knew him, because he was fighting in the UFC before," Johnson said about his upcoming opponent. "He's got the experience that the other guys [competing in TUF 24] don't have."

So did this new type of challenge cause Johnson to change up his routine?

"No, it didn't change anything at all for me, I just focus on getting better and training," Johnson said. 

If, as almost all spectators within the industry expect, Johnson beats Elliott on Saturday night, there will be almost no one left to fight for the champ. Still, despite having pretty much cleaned out his division, "Mighty Mouse" is currently not considering a move up a weight class to the 135-pound limit.

"I've been there, done that before, but [bantamweight] is not something I've been focusing on," Johnson said. "I spent most of my WEC and UFC career there. I fought Miguel Torres, Dominick Cruz… If that's the money fight, then that's what I'm going to do, [but] I'm not in the business of trying to get more brain damage fighting bigger bodies."

For now, Johnson has grander plans. 


Sep 5, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Demetrious Johnson (red gloves) and John Dodson (blue gloves) during their flyweight title bout at UFC 191 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Johnson won the fight. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY

"I say it all the time: I'm focused on breaking Anderson Silva's record," Johnson said. "[Be]cause it's history, it's breaking records. If it wasn't about breaking records, then I'd just relinquish the title and be like, 'All right, I'm just gonna fight and do this, this and this.' It's a race, [and] you always want to better yourself to break your personal record, every single time.

"Not just finish the race because […] then you're not bettering yourself as an athlete. So, for me, to better myself as a champion, to be one of the greatest champions of all time, you've got to be able to break the record, which is set by Anderson Silva."

Johnson, with eight straight title defenses, is in pursuit of Silva's record of 10, and he's blocking out the critics at all times. The flyweight champion makes the walk to the Octagon to win fights, and he doesn't care if there is an obvious talent gap between him and his opposition. 

"I don't give a damn, that's not my problem," Johnson laughed. "Why would I care?

"That's not my problem. That's like, 'Man, we're gonna race a car together, and it's like man, you're gonna beat me,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I've got a f*****g Ferrari, and you've got a f*****g Honda Civic. Not my problem, we're still gonna race. Good luck.'" 

Next in line waiting for the green light is Tim Elliott, and Johnson is just fine with that. He even finds a way to turn the lack of challengers into a positive, bringing up the point that champions of other divisions never get to test themselves against the elite outside of the UFC.

"[Bantamweight champions of other organizations] are not going to get the chance to fight [Dominick Cruz] -- I've got the opportunity to do that because they got Titan FC, Legacy FC, Shooto Japan, Shooto Brazil all in one house in the tournament," Johnson said. "The winner is Tim Elliott, so sounds good to me."

For FloCombat via A.G Fight