“I never thought I'd get TKO'd in my whole career” – Demetrious Johnson reveals how he overcame his first knockout loss

Demetrious Johnson prepared to return to winning ways at ONE X. [Photo: ONE Championship]

Demetrious Johnson’s last outing in the circle is something he has been trying to keep at the back of his mind ahead of his special-rules contest against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X, set for this Saturday, March 26.

For the first time in his storied career, the 12-time world champion was sent to sleep on the canvas. It was a scenario that ‘Mighty Mouse’ never envisioned, but he knew he had to overcome that painful loss to ONE flyweight world champion Adriano ‘Mikinho’ Moraes at some point.

In a pre-fight media scrum, Demetrious Johnson revealed how he got the better of that memory:

“After my last fight, you know, I lost, I got TKO'd and I never thought I'd get TKO'd in my whole career. And when I came home, I was surrounded by my family and, you know, forgot about the fight. Like I was talking to my friends. I was like, this stuff never exists.”

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It wasn’t easy throwing out that moment entirely from his mind. However,, he knew he had to stay 100 percent sharp, both mentally and physically, to progress and have another shot at the gold someday.

Despite his knockout setback to Moraes, he remains one of the favorites to challenge for the gold against the titleholder. 'Mighty Mouse' sits at No.1 in the flyweight division and a huge win for him at ONE X could see him gain some much-needed momentum before he returns to MMA again.

Demetrious Johnson’s best tip is to stay away from the internet

Johnson's advice to any athlete experiencing a similar point in their career is to put phones away and focus on the bigger picture in their respective careers.

The ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Champion had this to say during the pre-fight media day:

“The only time it exists is when you jump on your phone and go on Twitter and Instagram. Because that's when you see yourself getting knocked down. It's just the truth, right? Like, I can go the whole day without jumping on my phone, and I won't see when I'm doing mixed martial arts.”

In his case, the bigger picture right now is to put in an impressive performance against Rodtang when they clash on the third card of ONE X on Saturday.

Adriano Moraes 🇧🇷 SHOCKS THE WORLD, becoming the first man to finish Demetrious Johnson! @adrianomkmoraes #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #ONEonTNT https://t.co/HhvlmwDwW6

Most martial artists are never the same after succumbing to a knockout like the one which Demetrious Johnson suffered. However, the MMA GOAT contender seems primed and ready to prove that is not always the case.