'Mighty Mouse' wants to tie UFC title defense record in Las Vegas

Demetrious Johnson is one victory away from making history, and he knows exactly where he wants to do it.

"Mighty Mouse," who retained the UFC flyweight title for the ninth straight time with a unanimous decision over Tim Elliott in The Ultimate Fighter 24 finale in Las Vegas on Saturday, is eyeing a repeat performance - which would tie Anderson Silva's promotional record - in the combat sport's mecca and nowhere else.

"I have no desire to fight on the East Coast," Johnson said at the postfight presser, according to MMAjunkie's John Morgan and Steven Marrocco. "I don't want to fight at 1 o'clock in the morning. I always love fighting in Vegas, and I'll choose Vegas around any place in the world."

Johnson grew up in Washington state, so his left-coast leanings are not surprising, but the comfort he feels in Las Vegas didn't manifest in the Octagon until the second round of Saturday's fight. Elliott had the champ in trouble early, converting a first-round scramble into a D'Arce choke that Johnson calmly fought his way out of, and simply would not remain idle, even when pinned on his back.

While the challenger's haphazard performance had the audience chanting his name midway through the bout, "Mighty Mouse" never felt threatened by Elliott's attack.

"I was like, 'Here's this bull----.' It's nothing against him, but in my mind, you can't get caught up in that atmosphere where people are like, 'Yeah, Tim, you're (expletive) slapping him in the back of the head.' You're not doing anything. You're not crossing distance. You're turning sideways."

The hard-fought victory marked Johnson's 11th win at 125 pounds, a UFC record.