EXCLUSIVE | John Moraga gives his take on possible Demetrious Johnson vs. TJ Dillashaw fight

While nothing is official just yet, it’s still looking like UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson’s next title challenger could be a slimmed-down version of UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. As one of the flyweight division’s long-time contenders, John Moraga would watch this fight very closely.

Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, Moraga shared his interest in this fight.

“I think if TJ drops down, I don’t think it’s a bad fight to make,” he said. “I think it draws some interest to the division and with TJ being a champ at 135, I think he’s earned a shot.”

While Moraga feels Dillashaw deserves the opportunity to fight Johnson, he feels the 11-time defending champion Johnson is even more deserving of this opportunity.

“I definitely think what he’s done in this sport, he deserves his big paydays.”

That being said, Moraga isn’t really sure why it’s taken so long for Johnson to get an opportunity like this.

“At the same time, I can’t really say why he’s not a bigger draw,” he said. “I think to the true fans, to the knowledgeable fan, to the educated fans, I think they can see him for what he is.”

Whatever the case, Moraga hopes to one day get a second shot at Johnson, who he lost to back in 2013. That said, his first priority is continuing to evolve as a fighter. He’ll take the next step in his journey when he battles Wilson Reis at UFC on Fox 29 on April 14.

“I’m not really too worried about that [second title shot],” Moraga said. “Just worried about Wilson at the moment. You know, he’s a tough opponent and I’m not looking past him. So, whatever comes after that, you know, comes. But, I’m not in a rush to get back into the belt [conversation]. I think I gotta build some momentum and build my spark a little bit, and then we will think about that kind of stuff.”

When we last saw John Moraga in action, he delivered a 2017 Knockout of the Year contender, snuffing the then-undefeated Magomed Bibulatov in the first-round.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/13/2018.