Not too long ago, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (21-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) said he told UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to fire John Lineker.

After Lineker missed weight a fourth time as a flyweight, Johnson called the Brazilian’s tenure with the promotion a “sh-t show.”

“You can’t deny the man has skills,” Johnson. “He’s only hindering his career. He’s messing up my pocketbook.”

Even before Lineker fought Ian McCall at this past Saturday’s UFC 183, Johnson saw the unfolding scenario. If Lineker won, he wouldn’t get the title shot expected to be awarded the winner of the bout.

Sure enough, Lineker won. The UFC ordered him to bantamweight, scratching a potential title challenger and delaying a possible payday for Johnson.

“It’s almost to the point now where I need to wait for other people’s success for me to get a fight,” Johnson said. “But that’s the way it is.”

Despite all that, Johnson isn’t opposed to a fight with Lineker. In fact, he said he’d take the matchup, regardless of whether or not his opponent made weight.

“I don’t give a damn,” he said. “If we were to fight, we would weigh in, and if he missed it, OK, we’ll still fight. We’re going to fight five rounds, still, and you won’t get the belt if you win, and I’ll take 20 percent, and we’ll still fight.”

In other words, Johnson likes his options: win and get paid, or lose, keep the belt, and still get paid.

Good luck convincing the UFC to book that.

And so, Johnson sits on the sidelines as the promotion looks for another potential contender. It’s been four months since he dominated Chris Cariaso to notch his fifth title defense.

Johnson fought a lot in 2013 and 2014 and did so on relatively short notice. He requested time off after beating Cariaso.

Now, it appears he’ll get that whether he wants it or not.

A big part of the champ wishes it wasn’t about lining up the most popular or fan-friendly fight. That’s why he’d take Lineker – for the challenge.

“For me, I hate this side to where we’ve got to market people,” Johnson said. “In wrestling and high school, it was a tournament bracket. Whether this person was popular or not, you still got to wrestle them. In MMA and an organization where it’s a show, I feel that I won’t be able to test myself against what John Lineker can offer.”

See the video above to hear more from the flyweight champ.

And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.