"I'm a gi guy" - MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson explains his fascination for the technical aspect of gi jiu-jitsu
Reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson expressed his fascination with the technical aspects of wearing the gi in jiu-jitsu following his recent outing at the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships.
There's no doubt that there's more to Demetrious Johnson than just his MMA skills. The legendary superstar transformed his newest obsession for Brazilian jiu-jitsu into almost a full-fledged profession after having had a taste of it at the BJJ World Masters last year.
Like all high-level achievers, Johnson is always looking for the next big challenge and jiu-jitsu is one of those things. The constant learning and all the problem-solving required, particularly when wearing the gi, are just a few reasons why Johnson prefers to roll with the uniform on as opposed to not wearing one.
Speaking more about the differences between gi and no-gi, 'Mighty Mouse' said on FloGrappling:
"Yeah, I'm a gi guy. I'm not a no-gi guy. I said my background is more no-gi, but in like no-gi, it's all about, in my eyes, it's about creating space and taking space, and in no-gi, you don't have to worry about the lapel or guards, anything like that."
He continued to say:
"So with the gi, you have to worry about the Lapel, the Lasso Guard, Squid Guard, Worm Guard. You have to have some type of form of curriculum, right?"
Demetrious Johnson snatches two medals at the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships
Demetrious Johnson has made jiu-jitsu headlines again to kickstart the 2024 year.
The American superstar continued his remarkable run by snatching gold in the brown belt Master 2 featherweight class category and silver in the brown belt Masters 2 absolute [no weight limit] division at the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships in Kissimmee, Florida, over the weekend.
His chain of victories includes a submission over Mike Medina of Carlson Gracie Team and wins by points over Eric Semba, Seth Patrick, Alberto Morales, Sophanarith Am, and Marcio Luis Ferreira Filho.