UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson has stumped for a Jean Silva title shot against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
After Volkanovski beat Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, the next title contender at 145 lbs comes down to either Silva or the winner of the upcoming UFC Qatar featherweight fight between Aljamain Sterling and Kevin Vallejos.
But if you ask Johnson, it should be Silva.
Demetrious Johnson Says Jean Silva Deserves UFC Title Shot
Speaking on the “Precision Podcast,” Johnson made the case for Silva to get the next title shot at 145 lbs.
“That’s a more dangerous fight than Movsar Evloev. He goes for it: young, athletic, not scared. Silva could be a little bit upset that his boy (Mauricio Ruffy) is in Alexander Volkanovski’s corner. He’s like, ‘You took my friend Ruffy from me, right, now I’m going to come take you and you Ruffy are (expletive) next.’ Jean’s not going to be scared to try to take the fight and take a risk,” Johnson said (via MMAjunkie.com)
“Movsar Evloev, we know he’s not taking any risks. He’s going to take the least path of resistance. I like that. Then Aljamain Sterling, he’s got a tough fight coming, and I know Aljo and Volkanovski have trained together, but if I had to pick one, I’m going to go with Jean Silva.”
Will Jean Silva Get What He Wants?
Silva has made it clear that he wants to be next in line to fight Volkanovski, and based on his body of work inside the Octagon, it’s hard to argue against him getting a title shot at 145 lbs.
That being said, it will ultimately be up to the UFC matchmakers to decide who Volkanovski should fight next, and the champ will likely have some say in the matter, as he is one of the best fighters in the world and deserves to have an opinion on his next title challenger.
If Volkanovski wants to fight Silva, then the UFC would have no problem booking it. But if he wants to fight the winner of Sterling vs. Vallejos, they could get the next shot.
UFC Hall of Famer Stumps for Jean Silva Title Shot