Dodson calls out Almeida: 'I ain't afraid of nobody'

John Dodson isn't looking for a soft touch in his return to the bantamweight division.

After two failed attempts to knock off flyweight overlord Demetrious Johnson, Dodson's moving up to 135 pounds, and has streaking prospect Thomas Almeida in his crosshairs.

Dodson was asked if he's officially slated to face Almeida.

"No, the UFC has not granted that wish," he replied to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani. "But, Brian Stann sat there (at UFC Fight Night 77) and said 'there will be no bantamweight calling (UFC matchmaker) Sean Shelby,' and I snapped my fingers, because I was at (manager) Ricky's (Kottenstette) house watching the fight. I said 'yo Ricky, make this happen.'"

The queue for potential Almeida foes is short for a good reason. The 24-year-old Brazilian has carved out a path of destruction through the bantamweight division since making his UFC debut last November, racking up four consecutive victories, three of which came via violent stoppage.

"I'll call him out, I ain't afraid of nobody," Dodson said. "Hey, if I can't get a fight right now, this would be the best way to go about it. Everybody's looking for an opponent, and I'm the only opponent that doesn't have a fight they're signed to."