Demetrious Johnson plans to be the best in ONE Championship
Newly-signed ONE Championship flyweight star Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will be making his highly-anticipated promotional debut in 2019, when the Singapore-based martial arts organization heads to Japan for the first time in the company’s history.
At ONE: A NEW ERA in Tokyo on 31 March, Johnson is set to take on Japanese striker Yuya “The Little Piranha” Wakamatsu in an opening quarterfinals matchup for the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix Tournament.
The 32-year old signed with ONE Championship back in late 2018, and immediately became one of the promotion’s biggest signings in recent years.
Now, the long-time flyweight world champion gets to showcase his skills on a new platform and in front of a new fanbase, starting with the eight-man flyweight tournament.
“I’m excited for it – it’s going to be a fun time,” Johnson told ONE Championship.
“I cannot wait to see how the brackets work out, and to just get going. I’m just hoping I can stay healthy, as I think that will be the most difficult part – competing so often – but I will fight as much as my body will let me,” he added.
Johnson also shared his views on the ONE Flyweight division, which is no doubt will with top-tier talent such as reigning titleholder Geje Eustaquio as well as former champions Adriano Moraes and Kairat Akhmetov just to name a few.
“This division is stacked, and the best thing is, they’ve all faced each other before, and had wins and losses,” he explained. “On any given day, any of them can win the fight, and that’s another thing I love about ONE Championship.”
“These guys aren’t afraid to put it on the line because the promotion and the fans don’t care if you lose – it’s not the end of your career. They respect that you come to compete.” the flyweight star added.
Like the other world-class talent in the division, Johnson has one goal in mind, and that’s to be champion. To do that, he says that he’ll need to be at his best every time he makes his way into the cage or ring.
“I’m just a humble, respectful guy who loves this sport and wants to go out there and do my best on event night, and that’s what I plan to do in ONE Championship,” he concluded.