Chatri Sityodtong had no doubt Demetrious Johnson would bag gold medal at IBJJF Masters Worlds

ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson had spoken about wanting to compete in grappling for a long time in his career.

Having fallen in love with the Gi and the new challenges it presents, ‘Mighty Mouse’ has been dedicating the last few months to improving his skills in this field.

Earlier this month, he finally jumped into the deep end with both feet, competing at his first IBJJF Masters Worlds tournament.

As one of the greatest to ever compete in MMA, Johnson showed his ability to adapt to any martial arts as he walked away with the gold in the Master 2 featherweight division at brown belt.

One man who wasn’t surprised by the outcome of his first foray into professional grappling was ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

As a huge admirer of everything Johnson has been able to accomplish during his career, he knew Johnson was destined to reach the top once he set his mind to it.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post Martial Arts, Sityodtong spoke about Demetrious Johnson and his success and why he knew he was capable of winning the bracket on his first attempt:

​

“I knew he was going to win. I’m a brown belt too. And he’s a legit world-class brown belt. I knew he was going to win, because when I saw the bracket…Here’s the thing they don’t tell you, if you’re fighting the black belt division in Masters, the chances are you’re going to face a legend of the game. There are legit killers [in the brown belt Masters division], and I saw the videos that DJ posted, and those brown belts were high-level, legit brown belts, but they weren’t world championship athletes like DJ. DJ is next level, his movement, his mental strength, his fitness.”

Watch the full interview below:

​