Demetrious Johnson on his epic run: “I would say pretty much my whole fighting career I’m fighting for gold”

Reigning and undisputed ONE flyweight MMA world champion ‘Mighty Mouse’ Demetrious Johnson is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.

From the moment he turned professional over a decade ago in 2009, to the present day in 2023, Johnson has exhibited excellence at the absolute highest level. In fact, according to the 37-year-old American legend, it’s been pedal to the metal since he first entered the cage all those years ago.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Johnson looked back at his elite fighting career, and put things into perspective.

‘Mighty Mouse’ said:

“I’m about to be 37, I’ve been fighting at the highest level for 18 years. Like there was no minor league for your boy. It was straight WEC, UFC, ONE Championship, and I would say pretty much my whole fighting career I’m fighting for gold. Feeling gold.” [7:15 onwards in the video]

Of course, Johnson has built a legendary career, becoming the flyweight king in the UFC and successfully defending his world title a record 11 times. Then in 2019, Johnson made it to the world’s largest martial arts organization in ONE Championship, where he now reigns as the ONE flyweight MMA world champion.

Needless to say, Johnson’s career has been absolutely stellar, and many consider ‘Mighty Mouse’ to be the greatest of all time.

Where does Johnson go from here? There’s no word on his return as of yet, nor when he is expected to make the next defense of his flyweight belt. But rumors are that Johnson is preparing for a submission grappling showdown with reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion ‘Darth Rigatoni’ Mikey Musumeci later this year.

The two have been rumored to be on a collision course for when ONE Championship returns to the Middle East in December with a live event in Qatar.

Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the news and updates on Demetrious Johnson’s next fight.

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