​​By Shawn W. Smith 

When news broke recently of a potential fight between former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and current UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, the fight world rejoiced.

While it wasn't the originally scheduled Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt bout at UFC 213 that everyone had anticipated, it was a perfect replacement bout after Garbrandt dropped out that would keep Dillashaw in a championship picture and maybe give Johnson his first true test as flyweight champion in years.

Near-unanimously, the fight world was pleased.

That is, until Johnson shot the idea down.

On Wednesday morning, Johnson took to his Twitter account to say that he was waiting on a contract to fight third-ranked flyweight Ray Borg, which, no offense to Borg, is a considerable disappointment. Johnson went on to say that if Dillashaw wants a shot at the title, he can come down to flyweight and earn one.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MightyMouseUFC/status/867204241273765889" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/MightyMouseUFC/status/867204403085795328" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

Johnson, of course, is the only flyweight champion the UFC has ever seen. He has successfully defended his title 10 times, tying Anderson Silva's record for most consecutive title defenses.

However, "Mighty Mouse" has constantly struggled to gain any mainstream notoriety as a professional fighter, often drawing low numbers as a headliner.

He hasn't been truly challenged since a close decision victory over John Dodson in January of 2013, cruising to victory after victory against overmatched opposition he made look silly in each of those fights.

The bout against Dillashaw would have been an opportunity for Johnson to solidify his name in the record books as possibly the greatest champion the UFC has ever seen. It would have unquestionably marked the stiffest test of Johnson's career, one that would give fans and pundits alike a real idea of just how great Johnson is.

Instead, Johnson quickly shot down the idea in favor of another opponent that looks to be overmatched.

It's an interesting move from a fighter who has often talked about being underappreciated as champion.

"At the end of the day, it's not about how good you fight or how many talents you have," Johnson told MMAJunkie Radio in February of 2016. "It's a fu*king popularity contest, so I need to go out there and become the prom king, basically."

What Johnson is seemingly forgetting to acknowledge is that every great prom king needs a prom queen, or in this case, a dance partner. The greatest fighters in the history of combat sports have become great through their ability to overcome adversity. We haven't seen Johnson face any adversity in over four years throughout the prime of his career. 

Of course, some of that is because of how good Johnson is. He has faced the best flyweight challengers the world has to offer and subsequently conquered all of them. But with Dillashaw, Johnson is turning down the opportunity for a legacy fight, the kind of fight that would carve his name in the history books and almost assuredly make him a first-ballot hall of famer.

Not one of the fighters most commonly considered the greatest of all time in the UFC--Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones--has defeated larger, championship-caliber competition in a title-fight showdown. When the debates come around, Johnson (and his supporters) could proudly throw out the fact that he defeated Dillashaw to break the record, something none of the others can touch. 

In the same interview with MMAJunkie Radio where Johnson talked about his desire to be the prom king, he added, "Have I ever got a check for seven figures? Absolutely not. Is that one of my goals? Absolutely."

If Johnson wants to be the best and get paid the best, he needs to fight the best available opposition.

You can't complain about pay and refuse to fight the best available opponents. It doesn't work like that. With this move, Johnson is leaving himself open to criticism. A win over Borg would give Johnson the all-time championship defenses record but ultimately tell us nothing about how great of a fighter he is.