Demetrious Johnson-Wilson Reis title fight, Souza-Whittaker on tap for UFC on FOX 24

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will make his return to network television next month.

A 125-pound title fight between Johnson (25-2-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC) and Wilson Reis (22-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is slated to headline UFC on FOX 24, which is scheduled for April 15 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Miss. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though broadcast plans haven’t been finalized.

The co-main event for the card will be a middleweight showdown between top contenders Ronaldo Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and Robert Whittaker (17-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC).

MMAjunkie confirmed the news with a person with knowledge of the booking. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not been released to the public. UFC officials soon are expected to confirm both fights.

Johnson, No 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA pound-for-pound rankings, will attempt to tie former 185-pound champ Anderson Silva for the most consecutive title defenses at the event. He already has nine to his credit and can tie Silva’s longstanding record of 10.

“Mighty Mouse” made his most recent defense in December when he earned a unanimous decision over Tim Elliott at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. UFC on FOX 24 will mark Johnson’s fourth appearance in a FOX-televised main event and first since his knockout of Joseph Benavidez at UFC on FOX 9 in December 2013.

No. 6-ranked flyweight Reis, meanwhile, was already once scheduled to challenge Johnson at UFC 201 in July but the champion was forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury. The Brazilian kept active in the interim, picking up a first-round submission of Hector Sandoval at UFC 201 and outpointing Ulka Sasaki to a unanimous decision at UFC 208 this month.

Ronaldo Souza

Souza has been waiting a while for a title shot of his own at middleweight, but with the recent booking of champ Michael Bisping against Georges St-Pierre, “Jacare” has opted to remain active and further strengthen his case for a crack at UFC gold. The No. 4-ranked fighter at 185 pounds earned a first-round submission of Tim Boetsch at UFC 208, giving him his 10th win in his past 11 fights overall.

Looking to derail Souza will be No. 6-ranked Whittaker, who is riding a five-fight winning streak at the weight class, tied for the second longest active streak in the division behind Yoel Romero (eight). “The Reaper” is coming off a first-round knockout of Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 101 in November.

With the additions, the latest UFC on FOX 24 card includes:

• Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Wilson Reis – for flyweight title
• Ronaldo Souza vs. Robert Whittaker
• Rose Namajunas vs. Michelle Waterson
• Tim Elliott vs. Louis Smolka
• Devin Clark vs. Jake Collier
• Andrew Sanchez vs. Anthony Smith
• Nathan Coy vs. Zak Cummings
• Tom Duquesnoy vs. Patrick Williams
• Renato Moicano vs. Jeremy Stephens

For more on UFC on FOX 24, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.