Demetrious Johnson describes his ability to battle adversity
ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson has had one of the most dominant careers in MMA, period.
Since signing with ONE Championship in 2019, ‘Mighty Mouse’ has had to battle adversity. That's reminded the fans on several occasions that it isn’t just his skill that makes him a world champion - it’s his fighting spirit.
Though he is currently the ONE flyweight world champion, Johnson has had to battle through some whole new experiences in his career to get to this point. In 2021, for example, Johnson was finished for the first time in his career when he challenged Adriano Moraes for the world championship.
'Mighty Mouse' was able to come back and get revenge in the rematch, producing his own highlight-reel knockout to even the score with Moraes.
He also showed his resilience at ONE X, when he faced Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the promotion’s first ever mixed-rules superfight. After making it through a round of Muay Thai against one of the best strikers on the planet, the fight switched to MMA, where Johnson took over the fight and submitted his opponent.
After appearing at ONE Fight Night 6 to lend his voice to the commentary booth, Demetrious Johnson spoke about the adversity that he has faced thus far inside the circle:
“I feel like the whole time, I've always been growing and just understanding my style, and [figuring out] what is the best way for me to implement it depending on the opponent I'm fighting. Obviously now, people are seeing it more because I battled adversity when I fought Adriano Moraes for the first time. I've taken that fight against Rodtang, he's absolutely an amazing fighter. Doing one round of Muay Thai, second round of MMA, and then coming out victorious in that way. Then going and fighting Adriano Moraes for the second time.”
Watch Johnson’s full interview post-ONE Fight Night 6 below:
“I think I'm just getting more warmed up” - Demetrious Johnson on what separates him from other GOAT contenders
Mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson is right up there in contention as one of the all-time greats in the sport.
With his legendary career, leaving a lasting legacy is important to ‘Mighty Mouse’.
In a post-event interview with ONE Championship following Fight Night 6 on January 13, Demetrious Johnson shared his thoughts on the GOAT discussion and named what makes him stand out from the rest of the pack:
“A lot of athletes when they suffer a huge defeat and get knocked out, they get kind of gun-shy. But for me, I think I'm just getting more warmed up as a mixed martial artist and just getting better... That separates me, different from the others, people who are on the list of the greatest of all time.”
DJ showed his ability to battle back from adversity when he rebounded from his loss to Adriano Moraes by getting his revenge in their rematch at ONE on Prime Video 2.
Through his 36 professional fights, Demetrious Johnson has never lost back-to-back fights. His ability to regain his momentum after a loss has kept ‘Mighty Mouse’ right at the top of the sport for the majority of his career.
When all is said and done, and Johnson calls time on his career, there is no doubt that he will leave behind one of the biggest legacies of any competitor in mixed martial arts.