LAS VEGAS – Miles Johns just competed in his fist UFC co-main event bout, and now he wants to step things up.
The UFC bantamweight called for a main event slot for a UFC Fight Night at the Apex following his win over Douglas Silva de Andrade this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 58. Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who defeated Silva de Andrade (29-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) by decision, would like that headliner bout to be against veteran Ricky Simon, who’s currently scheduled to fight Vinicius Oliveira on June 29.
“Maybe Ricky Simon vs. Miles Johns in the Apex would be kind of cool, after Ricky beats this Oliveira dude,” Johns told MMA Junkie at the UFC on ESPN 58 post-fight press conference. “Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. We’ll see what happens.”
Johns knows his division is stacked, and that there are many possibilities for him to climb the ladder. He ideally wants Simon, but is not married to the idea.
“As much as I would like that fight, I’m not sure if Ricky is still top 15 or not,” Johns said. “There’s lots of matchups, and Sean (Shelby) does his job well, so I’m here for whatever.
“As good as I feel after a win, I always feel super happy, and I’m on a high, but I also have this pit in my stomach where I’m like, ‘Bro, bantamweight is full of monsters. You struggled to get the four wins in a row. How many can we make it? How many dice can we stack?’ And if you take an ‘L,’ that’s fine. You get back up and keep stacking. But it’s just a scary division to be in, so I’ll just be patient and see what comes next.”
As far as his win, Johns is happy to have defeated a seasoned fighter like Silva de Andrade. He’s proud of his performance but knows there’s plenty of room for improvement.
“I’m happy with that one,” Johns said. “I would’ve loved to put him away, but the dude is a tough dude and he has a warrior spirit. I knew that coming in, but I think when I go back and work on a few things, then I’ll start finding my finishes a little better. The only complaint that I have is that I didn’t put him away.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 58.
