“I’ve always been a reliable athlete” - Demetrious Johnson prides himself on being an absolute professional throughout his career
Demetrious Johnson was proud to showcase that he's a "reliable fighter" in ONE Championship.
Between 2019 and 2023, Johnson etched his name into ONE history. The American superstar is a former flyweight MMA world champion, the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix winner, and defeated Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a historic mixed-rules bout.
'Mighty Mouse' recently did an interview with MMA Fighting to discuss his tenure with ONE. The 38-year-old had this to say about showcasing his reliability:
"I’ve never shown up and not delivered. I’ve always been a reliable athlete. I always try to make weight. So when I got the opportunity to go to ONE and prove that, I think when they sat back, they’re like “holy shit, this kid is a working horse, he’s not here just to play. He’s here to f*cking play and actually fight."
At ONE 168, Demetrious Johnson made a special appearance despite not being booked for a fight. The former flyweight MMA world champion announced his retirement from the sport, leaving an opening at the top of the division.
Watch Johnson's entire interview with MMA Fighting below:
Demetrious Johnson's vacant flyweight throne will be filled at ONE 172
On March 23, 2025, the ONE flyweight MMA world title, previously held by Demetrious Johnson, will have a new owner.
Former world champion Adriano Moraes endured a two-fight losing streak against Johnson for ONE gold. In November, Moraes bounced back with a second-round submission against Danny Kingad, earning him a title shot.
Meanwhile, number two-ranked Yuya Wakamatsu has put together a three-fight winning streak to earn the vacant title opportunity. Wakamatsu's latest win was a unanimous decision against Gilbert Nakatani earlier this month.
This won't be the first time that Moraes and Wakamatsu have fought. In March 2022, then-flyweight world champion Moraes defended his strap against Wakamatsu at ONE X. Moraes emerged victorious by third-round submission.
The rematch between Moraes and Wakamatsu goes down in the ONE 172 co-main event.
ONE 172 goes down inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The upcoming event will be headlined by a must-see flyweight kickboxing bout between world-class strikers Rodtang and Takeru Segawa.