Demetrious Johnson shares old-school mantra that led to his legendary status
Demetrious Johnson firmly believes that a lifetime of hard work has led him to become one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
‘Mighty Mouse’ once again established himself as the undisputed greatest flyweight competitor in the history of the sport at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5. Walking into the sold-out 1stBank Center as the reigning ONE flyweight world champion, Johnson was tasked with defending his title against the very man he took it from, Adriano Moraes.
The two men went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes. When all was said and done, Johnson emerged victorious, claiming his title and expanding his legacy.
In a recent post on the ONE Championship Instagram account, Johnson revealed that while many of his friends were involved in a variety of debauchery, he was hitting the books, training daily, and spending time with his future wife – choices that ultimately led him to where he is today.
"My friends were doing drugs and partying non-stop. I was still the guy doing school, working, dating my future wife, and training mixed martial arts... just hustling.” - Demetrious Johnson
“The grind never stops for the GOAT 💪 Who’s next for “Mighty Mouse?”"
As for who’s next, there are two likely options waiting in the wings for ‘Mighty Mouse’ when and if he returns to the circle. The first and most obvious is No.2-ranked flyweight contender Kairat Akhmetov. After scoring his sixth straight win at ONE Fight Night 10, ‘The Kazakh’ established himself as the next man in line for a ONE world title opportunity.
The other possibility is a submission grappling superfight with reigning ONE flyweight submission grappling world champion Mikey Musumeci. Demetrious Johnson and ‘Darth Rigatoni’ have expressed interest in a grappling contest inside the circle. And it’s possible that Johnson may take a break from MMA to test his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills on combat sports’ biggest stage.
If you missed any of the action or just want to relive one of the most epic nights in ONE Championship history, the ONE Fight Night 10 replay can be watched via Amazon Prime Video in North America.