John Dodson pitches ‘two losers battle’ between Garbrandt & Wood

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Nathaniel Wood is angling for a fight with Cody Garbrandt, but John Dodson assures that match-up will be between two men coming off losses.

John Dodson says Nathaniel Wood can take on Cody Garbrandt in a battle of losers after UFC Rio Rancho.

Wood (16-3) faces Dodson (20-11) at UFC Rio Rancho on Feb. 15, but the former is already angling for a fight with former UFC bantamweight champion Garbrandt. Dodson supported Wood’s matchmaking, but told MMA Mania it would not be under Wood’s ideal circumstance.

“The way Nathaniel Wood is trying to talk about trying to fight Cody Garbrandt because Cody Garbrandt is on a losing streak, and he [Wood] is going to be coming off a loss too,” Dodson said. “Nathaniel Wood is in for a world of trouble. He can go fight Cody Garbrandt like he wants to and I’ll make sure he can go ahead and have a two losers battle.”

“I’m willing to fight anybody they want to put in front of me,” he said of his path to the gold. “I want to get back to the gold and I want to do everything I can to be the next dude to prove I’m here and still in this game. I just need to prove it on Feb. 15, and when I do that ’ll silence every single critic.”

Dodson, a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, also reflected on what it was like working under one of the sport’s most colorful characters, Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

“To tell you the truth he was not as crazy as he is on TV in front of the camera. He wasn’t like that. He was caring and everything else. He was down to earth. He felt like Greg Jackson being in my corner already. He gave me that comfort,” Dodson shared. “He was one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever met in my entire life and he really cared. He didn’t know anything about me but he still took the time to get to know me and wanted to help me pursue my dream. It felt amazing.”

Once lauded for his improbably knockout power — which claimed victims like T.J. Dillashaw, Jussier Formiga, and Manvel Gamburyan — eight of his last nine fights have gone the distance. This has led to cries of “boring” from a portion of the audience, but it doesn’t bother Dodson the slightest.

“Actually, I don’t read it. For me to keep on ignoring it is to not read it at all. Everyone wants to sit there and have their own opinion and that’s the best thing for social media. Anybody can hop on Twitter and say something,” he said. “There are all those other people that can sit there and hide behind a fake mask or fake persona and say whatever they want to bully other people. I choose not to be bullied. They want to sit there and say something harmful to me, I don’t care. I just pass on by and don’t even give them two cents of my day.”

UFC Rio Rancho is headlined by top light-heavyweight contenders Corey Anderson and Jan Blachowicz. The co-main event boasts legend Diego Sanchez and wild man Michel Pereira.