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NEW YORK – Newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw is ready to drop to the flyweight division to challenge champ and pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson.

Is Johnson ready to accept? That’s the $2 million question, but Dillashaw thinks it will happen.

“Demetrious can’t run from this one,” Dillashaw said after his second-round stoppage of Cody Garbrandt to reclaim the title at UFC 217. “This one’s too big. (Johnson) broke his (title-defense) record. He got to pad himself and break his record. Now, let’s make some money.”

With the belt around his waist, Dillashaw’s bargaining power is a lot better than a few months back, when Johnson (27-2-1 MMA, 15-1-1 UFC) rejected a matchup with him in favor of a record-breaking fight against Ray Borg at UFC 215 for his 11th straight title defense.

The way Dillashaw (15-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) sees it, it’s in Johnson’s best financial interest to take this offer.

“(Johnson is) talking about how he wants those seven-figure fights – well, this is it,” Dillashaw said at UFC 217’s post-event press conference after the pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden. “Step up, be a man of your word, and let’s get this fight going.”

UFC President Dana White is no more opposed to the idea now than he was when he tried to get Johnson to face Dillashaw after Garbrandt was forced to withdraw from a headliner at UFC 213.

Despite the fact that Dillashaw never has competed in the octagon at 125 pounds, White appears willing to give the idea a shot.

“It’s not up to me to feel confident about it,” White said of Dillashaw’s weight cut. “It’s him. Does he feel confident he can make that weight, and he was very confident when I talked to him that he could do it.”

Perhaps the bigger obstacle is the dollar figure that will be needed to motivate Johnson, who’s previously rejected moves up in weight unless given a $2 million payday.

“He’s a partner in the pay-per-view,” White said. “Let’s see what your pay-per-view does. You’re a partner. Let’s see what you make.

“Listen, you can’t be in a position where you’re like, ‘I want $2 million, (Expletive) you, I don’t care what you make. I don’t care how much this thing sells. I just want $2 million.’ Go tell your boss you want $2 million. You don’t give a (expletive) what it costs him. See what he says.”

Dillashaw admits it won’t be easy for him to move down in weight. But after getting spurned by Johnson the first time around, he’s providing all the verbal incentives needed to make the fight a reality this time.

And it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to drop the pounds, he adds.

“The reason why I look so lean at 135 is the way I work,” Dillashaw said. “I put muscle on to be at 135. I’m not a big (bantamweight). I walk around at 150, but I stack on, and I stay lean. I kept my diet since ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I’ve been on a new diet with a new strength and conditioning coach, and he keeps the muscle on me, because that’s what I need.

“When I go to (flyweight), we’re going to have to lean that down. It is a lifestyle change.”

For complete coverage of UFC 217, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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