In the aftermath of Rizin 42 the Japanese media bombarded John Dodson with questions. The main topic was a possible title fight with Kyoji Horiguchi but the conversation took a bizarre twist when the American was asked about his slow start.
Dodson beat Tatsuki Saomoto by decision but claims his performance was adversely affected by an urgent need to make a trip to the toilet,
“To be honest with you I couldn’t move that much because as soon as I got into the ring I had to go poop. It made it very difficult to move around and throw a lot of punches because I didn’t want to poop in the ring.”
As the translator struggled to put Dodson’s answer in polite Japanese terms he decided to simplify his explanation of what went wrong,
“I had to throw two punches at a time so I didn’t shit myself,” he said.
Dodson landed a big uppercut!
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— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) May 6, 2023
Grinning broadly
Dodson was grinning broadly during this part of the conversation and appeared to be dressed as a turtle so it isn’t clear how seriously he was expecting to be taken.
He is definitely serious about wanting to fight Horiguchi though. The two men appear to be on a collision course and are the top contenders for the inaugural Rizin flyweight title.
They were both competing in the UFC flyweight division at the same time but their paths never crossed. Dodson wants to face Horiguchi in the Rizin ring,
“I want to fight Horiguchi. He keeps saying he’s the best flyweight in the world but I know I’m better.”
From the choke to the Superior Ruleset©!
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— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) May 6, 2023
Different ruleset
Having needed less than two minutes to finish Hideo Tokoro at Rizin 40 Dodson went the distance last weekend. Having spent the majority of his career with the UFC he was grateful to have got some more minutes under his belt competing under the different ruleset,
“It was way better to get more time in because I got to go ahead knee and soccer kick on the ground and I got to use all the rules. And you got to see more of my beautiful face.”
Dodson challenged Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title twice and caused the champion plenty of problems in the first fight although he ultimately came up short on both occasions. Having signed with Rizin and won his first two fights he is now intent on winning a title in Japan,
“My future plan is to take over the flyweight division. I want to be the champion in Rizin, the king of the flyweight division.”
His timing is perfect because Horiguchi has dropped down to flyweight and Rizin is introducing a title for the first time. Dodson wants to challenge the former bantamweight champion and promises to enjoy beating him,
“He claims he’s the best flyweight in the world and I want to prove him wrong. I’m going to kill him with a smile.”
