UFC flyweight champ Demetrious-Johnson (L) John-Dodson (R). (Photo courtesy of MMA Weekly)

Just a man on the job, Demetrious Johnson has a message for John Dodson, bullies and boxers.

Johnson (Twitter: @MightyMouseUFC) will put his UFC flyweight title on the line at UFC on Fox 8 against John Moraga, which takes place on July 27 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Wash.  Before “Mighty Mouse” moves on to his next opponent, he has to straighten something out with an old foe.

Johnson, the first ever UFC flyweight champion, defended his title one time, and it was against John Dodson at UFC on Fox 6.  The bout was a high paced, back and forth battle, which the judges scored in Johnson’s favor.  There was no animosity between the two 125-pound combatants ahead of the match, but a statement on Johnson’s behalf was misconstrued and the champ has a message for “The Ultimate Fighter 14” winner.

“I saw that John Dodson thought I was talking a lot of crap about him because I said he’s explosive, and I want to clear the air,” Johnson told Jason Kelly and Corey Charron on MMA DieHards Radio on the MMA DieHards Radio Network.  “John Dodson is an amazing athlete, a great fighter; he has amazing technique and skill set.  When I was trying to get a point across I said that his greatest asset that I was worried about was his explosiveness.  That’s the only thing I was worried about.  I know he has great technique and all that other stuff, I’m not saying that’s all he has.  In my general category, when I go into fight him, that’s the only thing I worried about.  How he can explode on people and knock them out.  He took it the opposite way and thought I said, ‘He’s just explosive and that’s all he has.’  That’s the only thing I was worried about against him.  He’s a great fighter, has a great skill set, great athlete, amazing ambassador for the sport.  I just wanted to clear that up on the air.  I hope this gets back to him so he knows I wasn’t disrespecting him.”

Johnson is never one to call out a fighter, nor is he one to back down from a challenge, even if that test comes from another genre of combat sports.

Every MMA fan in the world enjoyed former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture having his way with the highly decorated boxer, James Toney.  Recently from the boxing world, heavyweight Tyson Fury has been calling out UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.  The boxer versus MMA fighter debate is one that is unlikely to ever end, and Johnson wouldn’t mind the challenge in the cage or the squared circle.

“If I was offered to fight a boxer in the Octagon, straight up, I’d be fine,” Johnson said.  “Let’s say I was offered to fight Floyd Mayweather in the Octagon, and they were like, ‘I’m going to give you one million (dollars) of my money, but you got to do all you can to promote;’ I would do everything in my power to promote that fight and make boxing money any day of the week.

“Especially if it was mixed martial arts, but if it was boxing, it would be much tougher.  If the money was right and my coach thought it was OK and the UFC was OK with that, then hell yeah I’d fight.  Why not?  I mean, you might as well.”

Johnson isn’t calling any boxers out, that’s not his style.  He doesn’t see the need to talk about opponents or people in a slanderous fashion, or be the instigator in an effort to start a fight, and he travelled to share his beliefs on bullying.

The UFC and AMC Pankration teammate visited Las Vegas schools to talk to kids about bullying.  Various forms of victimization were touched upon, and Johnson pulled from his past experiences to inform students of the effects of bullying.

“I was on the opposite end (of bullying),” Johnson said.  “I tell my wife my bullying stories and she’s like, ‘What about the time you got jumped?’  And I’m like, ‘Well, I call that part of life.  That’s what happens, it just happens.’  Obviously I’m a grown man now, so I can look back at it and it’s funny, but at the same time it’s like, what can you do about it?  It’s part of life, it happens, but hopefully I can spread my word about how when I look back at it now I wish it never did happen.  Maybe I wish it did happen because it made me who I am.  Maybe if I didn’t get beat up I would be the person who bullied people, or maybe I’m happy those guys did beat me up because it made me not want to beat anybody else up.”

Johnson, once bullied on, is now a UFC champion.  Things may have changed in regards to who can mess with him these days, but not much else is different about the humble champion.

For a history-making UFC champion with fame and money, Johnson does an outstanding job of staying true to himself and keeping his ego in check.

“I’m just me being me and I won’t change for nobody,” Johnson said.  “You know, they say when people stumble upon a lot of money they change.  I guess I just haven’t stumbled upon enough money to make me change, or I don’t think there is enough money to make me change.  I still do the same thing every day: I get up, I wash dishes, I head to the gym and train, come home and my wife has dinner cooked for me.  I tell her don’t wash the dishes, I’ll do that.  I’m just a man trying to pay my bills, and the way I do that is by fighting.”