Daniel Cormier says it's not easy to be "universally respected" like Demetrious Johnson
MMA veteran and color commentator Daniel Cormier believes Demetrious Johnson is right up there in the mix of fighters who are the best in the business.
Per the former double champ, however, what keeps 'Mighty Mouse' in a league of his own is the level of respect he has garnered throughout his 16-year stint in the discipline.
Johnson bid farewell to the sport during ONE 168: Denver inside Ball Arena on Friday, Sept. 6, drawing the curtain on his glorious career that saw him attain the flyweight world champion in ONE Championship and UFC.
Talking about Johnson's decision to call it a day and the impact he has left on the sport, Cormier had this to say to Chael Sonnen on ESPN's Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast:
"That's one of the hardest things in the world to get, especially when you're dealing with a whole bunch of alpha personalities in the sport, to be universally respected.
"Demetrious Johnson is universally respected, not only as a fighter but as a father, as a husband."
Watch the full interview here:
Demetrious Johnson's run on the global stage of ONE Championship
After recording 11 title defenses in the UFC, Demetrious Johnson officially joined the ONE Championship roster in October 2018. The Washington native fought under the promotional banner seven times, including a special rules super-fight alongside ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
During his stint at the world's largest martial arts organization, the AMC Pankration and Evolve MMA athlete added the ONE Flyweight MMA World Grand Prix Championship and the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title to his impressive accolades.
He retired with a 25-4 resume, with his last fight being a victorious world title defense against Adriano Moraes in their rubber match on the promotion's debut show in North America — ONE Fight Night 10 — in May last year.