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Johnson undergoes shoulder surgery, return date uncertain

Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports

After a banner 2017, Demetrious Johnson wants to get back to top form before making his next walk to the cage.

The UFC flyweight champion underwent shoulder surgery Wednesday, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting. Johnson announced he'd be going under the knife earlier in the day after sustaining the injury during a nine-round grappling session in December, and didn't offer a timetable on his return to action.

Johnson took the Octagon twice last year, submitting Wilson Reis in April before claiming the UFC's title defense record of 11 with a stunning tapout of Ray Borg at UFC 216 in October. He hadn't set his sights on a particular dance partner prior to Wednesday's development, although newly recrowned bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw has been campaigning hard for a champion vs. champion bout of late, a matchup UFC president Dana White is interested in booking.

If brought to fruition, the clash of titleholders wouldn't go down until April at the earliest, Helwani reports.

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