Former UFC Champion Demetrious Johnson claims he would destroy Jon Jones if they were the same size
Demetrious Johson might not be in UFC anymore, but he left a legacy that few fighters will be able to match. For a long time, the former Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson was considered the pound-for-pound No.1 fighter. It was hard to argue against it, especially when he was so dominant and consistent in his reign as the Champion.
Demetrious Johnson recently admitted that he's done with 125 pounds and that his final career stop will be One FC - where he's signed to right now. Speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Mighty Mouse discussed an array of topics, one of which was Jon Jones.
Demetrious Johnson told Ariel Helwani that if he were Jon Jones' size, he could "f**k him up":
"I believe he could beat anyone at Light Heavyweight and I think he could beat anyone at Heavyweight. Don't get me wrong, if I were Jon Jones' size, I would probably f**k him up. I know, mentally and physically and skillfully, I would push him. I pushed people before and I know I would push him."
Ariel Helwani asked him if he still claimed to be "the man" and Demetrious Johnson backtracked a bit, stating that he would push Jon Jones and not necessarily beat him.
"I said I would go out there and push him - that doesn't mean I would win the fight. I'm saying that if I were the same size as him and I have all the attributes that I do now - my mental capacity, my discipline, my skill set, I would push him. I know everybody else would say 'I would do the same'. But I've proven that when I'm down I can push."
Demetrious Johnson referenced Jon Jones' last opponent Dominick Reyes and stated that even though people think that Reyes won, he lacked the ability to wrestle. Demetrious Johnson stated that he knows his all-round skill set and that's what gives him the confidence.
Is Demetrious Johnson having an easy time at ONE FC?
Those not following Demetrious Johnson might assume that he's fighting easy opponents at ONE Fighting Championship. That isn't the case at all. Not only is he fighting at 135-pounds (In ONE FC, Flyweight is 135 lbs), but he has had to go the distance on two of his three fights for the promotion.
In the process, Demetrious Johnson became the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion, and he's set to face the Flyweight King Adriano Moraes. Unfortunately, that event was canceled due to COVID-19, and it could mean that Mighty Mouse will have gone all of 2020 without a single fight - something he hasn't done since the start of his career in 2007.