LAS VEGAS – Dana White has no problem admitting he’s not exactly thrilled with flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, but the UFC boss said he’s going to give “Mighty Mouse” exactly what he wants: Ray Borg.

“You want Ray Borg, we’ll give you Ray Borg,” White told MMAjunkie. “I’m sure the fans will be clamoring, and ticket sales will be through the roof and pay-per-views will be off the charts.”

Johnson is currently ranked No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings at both flyweight and pound-for-pound. Borg checks in at No. 5 – which makes him a viable contender considering Johnson holds previous wins over No. 2 Joseph Benavidez and No. 3 Henry Cejudo, and that No. 4 Kyoji Horiguchi is now fighting in Japan.

But White’s frustration stems from a recent challenge by former bantamweight world champion T.J. Dillashaw, who expressed interesting in moving down a division to face Johnson, who is gunning for his 11th consecutive title defense, which would be a company record. Thus far, the champion has refused, visibly frustrating White.

“I’m not thrilled with Demetrious Johnson,” White said. “You’re the pound-for-pound best in the world, T.J. Dillashaw challenges you – one of the best in the world, former world champion – and you flat out deny the fight, flat out say, ‘I won’t do it. I want Ray Borg.’

“Who wouldn’t want to see Demetrious Johnson vs. T.J. Dillashaw? Dillashaw calling me every day: ‘I’m cutting weight. I’m cutting weight. I’m dieting. I’m training. I’m cutting weight. Do I got the fight? Do I got the fight?’ Ask T.J. Dillashaw next time you see him or you interview him. Calling me every day, chomping at the bit for the fight. You expect the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world to go, ‘Let’s do it.'”

Johnson has been uncharacteristically outspoken with his complaints, penning a statement earlier this month in which he said he “decided to speak out now as I feel like my values and character as a person and a fighter are being tarnished by an organization I’ve done nothing but sweat and bleed for over the last 7 years of my life.”

White said he took umbrage with much of what was in the statement, including claims the he was looking to shutter the entire flyweight division, and that the promotion has failed to effectively market Johnson.

“What I said to him was, ‘A couple of years ago, we were actually talking about getting rid of the division,'” White said, pointing to a conversation he had with Johnson during a Snoop Dogg concert at the UFC Athlete Retreat 2017. “There was never a threat to him, ‘Oh, we’re going to get rid of the division. That was complete bull(expletive), and 90 percent of what he came out and said was complete bull(expletive). Never did I say to him, ‘Hey, if you don’t do this, we’re going to get rid of your division.’ What I said to him was, ‘A couple of years ago, we were talking.’

“I built an ‘Ultimate Fighter’ around you to try and build you. He said he hasn’t been promoted. Who has defended that weight division more than me? I mean, I used to stand up in front of (the media) at the press conference going, ‘This kid is amazing. He’s unbelievable. He’s this. He’s that,’ which he is. I’m not saying he’s not. But we’re in a spot now where you had the opportunity to really get out there. T.J. Dillashaw called you out. He’s one of the best in the world, and he’s a former world champion. Many people thought he won the fight against (Dominick) Cruz. And you flat out say, ‘I don’t want to fight this guy. I want this guy, I want to fight the No. 5 or No. 6 guy instead.”

White said he believes Johnson’s marketability would have taken a big step forward had he beaten Dillashaw and points to lightweight champ Conor McGregor recently requesting a bout with Khabib Nurmagomdov – a man many believe to be a stylistic nightmare for “The Notorious” – and in Russia, no less, as the ideal attitude for an athlete hoping to gain greater notoriety.

“When I talk about the Conor McGregor thing, there’s the complete (expletive) opposite of Conor McGregor,” White said. “‘I want to roll into Russia and fight Khabib – the guy that if you ask most fans and media, they say, ‘Keep him away from (expletive) Khabib.’ You know what I mean? No, I want Khabib, and I want him in Russia in his home country. The complete opposite.”

And so, White says Johnson’s next fight will, indeed, come against Borg. An exact date has yet to be revealed, but White admits he’s not exactly optimistic about how the card will perform – and he hopes Johnson is aware of the reality.

“You’re on the cusp of breaking the record and doing all this stuff, … and you’re talking about superfights and you want $2 million and all this other stuff,” White said. “So I’m not thrilled about it, but guess what? You want Ray Borg, we’ll give you Ray Borg. I don’t want to hear any (expletive) if it’s not the blockbuster event you expect it to be.”

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