Demetrious Johnson opens up about training with Henry Cejudo ahead of Adriano Moraes rematch at ONE 161
Demetrious Johnson is looking to get ready for a world title clash with Adriano Moraes at ONE 161 by getting help from another champion in his own right, former opponent Henry Cejudo.
Cejudo is an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler who transitioned well in MMA, winning and defending titles in two weight classes simultaneously. He is responsible for snapping Johnson’s run of 11 straight title defenses in the United States.
In an interview with The Schmo, ‘Mighty Mouse’ explained why Cejudo is the perfect person for him to train with ahead of his match with Moraes.
Demetrious Johnson said:
“Well, I mean obviously I have a house out here and Henry and I, we fought twice. He’s fought guys, we're kind of in the same boat, right? We're both shorter guys. When he fought Dominick Cruz, a guy who likes to run, move and do a lot of movement. I thought he really handled covering distance very well. And honestly, he's, you know, he's very good.”
The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship winner also said that Cejudo does not get the respect that he deserves and that training with an elite talent like him is an opportunity he doesn't want to pass up.
“For me, whether it's [developing] my skills or just getting work in, I don't see why not. I think it'd be stupid of me to come here and be like, 'Ugh, I'm not going to go train with him, we’ve fought twice.' That's someone who has an ego, I don't have an ego, I always want to love and share knowledge, and just try to make each other better.”
Catch the full interview below:
Demetrious Johnson taking necessary steps to prepare for Adriano Moraes
Demetrious Johnson has been pretty successful in MMA, collecting 30 wins in a career that has spanned over a decade.
However, after experiencing first-hand what Adriano Moraes can do in their first matchup, Johnson has decided to do something that he has never done in his whole career.
The American star told The Schmo that he’s not looking to develop anything in particular, and is looking forward to improving his overall skills in this training camp.
“Out of my whole entire career, in all my talent defenses, I've never brought anybody into my camp. I've never gone outside of my camp. So that's a very long time. And I've always been successful, not, you know, going somewhere else, or bringing people in. Now I'm at the point in my career, I'm like, you know what, I'm going to start exploring. I'm out here in Arizona, why not? Right, like Henry's very successful. So I just think it's a no-brainer, why not do it?”