“A breath of fresh air” - Demetrious Johnson explains admiration for competing in the Gi after double medal run at 2024 IBJFF Pans
Reigning undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson is enjoying his time participating in different jiu-jitsu tournaments since he discovered his love for the 'gentle art' last year.
Johnson was a recent guest on the Believe You Me podcast on Michael Bisping's YouTube channel and discussed his recent runs in various BJJ tournaments, explaining why he performs well in them.
'Mighty Mouse' stated:
"I love to compete in the Gi. It's something like a brand new hobby, it's a breath of fresh air. I've competed for 18 years [in MMA]. But I love this jiu-jitsu in the Gi. I love it because it takes away my athletic ability, it takes away my speed. Even though I still have speed in it, but imagine if I did No-Gi and I can just move around however I want."
See the full episode below:
There are also plenty of other reasons why Johnson loves competing in jiu-jitsu tourneys, such as not worrying about accumulating damage from his opponent's strikes, unlike in MMA, and maximizing his fight IQ to outsmart the opposition with various submission maneuvers.
Demetrious Johnson already making a name for himself in the BJJ community with multiple podium finishes
Johnson is carrying over his success from mixed martial arts to Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is having a smooth transition in the sport. He is not only known as a highly touted name in competitions but also as a real contender to win his division.
He has proved this by already winning multiple medals since making his debut in the 2023 World Masters IBJFF Jiu-Jitsu Championships, where he bagged the gold medal in the Master 2 featherweight brown belt division.
The American champion also replicated this success during the recent 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships with another gold medal in his same Master 2 featherweight brown belt division.
These recent successes teas a potential matchup with reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci.