One of the greatest combat sports athletes in history is getting set to fight professionally in the U.S. for the first time since 2018, a bout that may also be the last of his career.
Demetrious Johnson will defend his ONE Championship flyweight title on Friday, May 5 in Denver against Adriano Moraes in ONE’s American debut. The trilogy bout, Johnson’s first, will also be the deciding rubber match between the champion and Moraes.
The 16-year veteran Johnson recently hinted that he may hang up his four-ounce gloves at the conclusion of Friday’s fight. While there is plenty of chatter in the MMA community surrounding his future, the multi-time champ hasn’t let any of the extra noise distract him. In fact, according to Johnson, announcing his potential intentions has been a stress release.
“I don’t see it as noise, I think it’s just me expressing my feelings,” Johnson told Sportsnet between training sessions from his hotel in Denver. “When I step in a cage, I know I’m fighting — fighting to make money — so it just makes it easier when I express myself because I’m not holding anything back. I’m speaking my truth in how I feel.”
When Johnson finally does call it a career, he will go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever set foot inside a cage. ‘Mighty Mouse’ holds a professional record of 24-4 across multiple promotions, capturing multiple championships in the process. He’s also known as one of the more unique combatants in the sport’s history, and one of the fastest.
When asked to list the three attributes he’ll be remembered for most, Johnson described his style as, “intelligent, elusive and ambidextrous.”
“I think what defines my intelligence in the ring is to be able to make adjustments as the fight is going on and to be able to understand what my opponent is doing,” Johnson elaborated. “I did mixed martial arts, I’ve done kickboxing, I’ve done Muay Thai and I’ve also done shoot boxing, and I’ve done a lot of jiu-jitsu tournaments. And I did that as I was coming up in the game of mixed martial arts, so I think that’s kind of what catered to my IQ.”
Indeed, Johnson’s traits as a fighter will not soon be forgotten, nor will his indirect contributions to the sport.
Late in 2018, Johnson was part of the first “trade” in the history of pro MMA when he was sent from UFC to ONE in exchange for Ben Askren, a highly touted middleweight.
After winning his first fight, Askren was on the receiving end of UFC history in his second bout when he was knocked out in just five seconds by Jorge Masvidal, a record in the promotion. Askren went on to lose his next fight and then announced his retirement from MMA. Masvidal, meanwhile, used the popularity generated by the incredible knockout to vault into superstar status among UFC’s roster, eventually earning back-to-back bouts against then-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
It’s difficult to say for certain what sort of path Masvidal, and the UFC in general, would be on should the Johnson-for-Askren trade have never materialized. While it’s interesting barstool fodder for fans, Johnson has never given any thought to the, ‘what if’ scenario.
“That’s a huge butterfly effect that we’re talking about,” he said. “The trade for me, Ben Askren’s able to come, talk a lot, make a lot of noise, which is good. And then you add Masvidal knocking out Askren, he was kind of resurrected.”
Johnson added: “I cannot predict that the same thing would have happened if I would have stayed in the UFC.”
But is there anyone in UFC that Johnson wishes he would have had a chance to step in the octagon with?
“I’ve never really been the type of guy that was like, ‘Man, I wish I would have fought that person’ — unless it’s like Jon Jones or someone like that, but we’re in two different weight classes,” Johnson remarked. “I’m happy for everybody’s success in that division.
“I want nothing but the best for those guys. I hope they all eat and make a lot of money.”
While there is no certainty in Johnson’s future beyond the opening bell at Friday’s ONE Fight Night 10, he has announced he’d like to stay involved in mixed martial arts byway of competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Before that, though, Johnson is focussed on the task at hand: winning the rubber match against Moraes in Denver. Despite the added pressure of main eventing ONE’s debut event in the United States, Johnson seemed to have no trouble maintaining his usual calm demeanour.
“I’m a chill pickle, man. Amping myself up, or getting myself ready for a fight is just wasted energy,” he explained. “I’m super excited for the fight, it’s going to go great. I feel great. I’m sure he feels great. I know he’s prepared. I’ve made adjustments, and we’re going to go out there and see if we can make adjustments within nine months [the time since their last fight].”
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