Demetrious Johnson looks for ninth title defense

— -- Only former middleweight champion Anderson Silva (10) and former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre (nine) have more consecutive UFC title defenses than flyweight champ Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson's eight.

Johnson (24-2-1) looks to match GSP when he defends his belt at UFC 201 on July 30 opposite Wilson Reis (20-6).

"It's awesome. [Silva and St-Pierre] are looked at among the greatest," Johnson said. "GSP is already out of the sport. Anderson Silva, he's up there; I'm sure he has 10 fights in him before he wants to retire. It's an honor that I'm up there with those guys."

The potential for a superfight generates more intrigue than Johnson's immediate bout -- not uncommon for historically dominant champions. Mighty Mouse, a 14-1 favorite over Reis, feels a cross-division match will materialize -- someday.

"Eventually, in my heart, I believe it will happen," said Johnson, whose last loss came in 2011 to bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz. "I'm only 29; I'll be turning 30 this year. It's not like the 135 weight class is going to disappear after five or six years. It's always going to be there.

"I'm going to be here for a long time, and I think that time is going to happen. So don't worry. It's going to happen."