“S*** happens” - Demetrious Johnson says fighters get finished sooner or later
Pound-for-pound flyweight great Demetrious Johnson knows that in a long enough career, every fighter will suffer a knockout eventually.
It was more than a decade into his storied mixed martial arts career before ’Mighty Mouse’ knew what it felt like to have his lights turned out inside the cage. That historic defeat came at the hands of Adriano Moraes. 'DJ' will step into the Circle with him for the third and final time when ONE Championship makes its long-awaited debut in the United States on May 5th.
Months out from the biggest trilogy fight in ONE history, Demetrious Johnson sat down with Sports Illustrated. He looked back on his first career knockout loss at the hands of his ONE Fight Night 10 opponent:
“The longer you do this, the more likely it is you’re going to get knocked out. Sh*t happens. I’m not worried about it. I know how good I am.”
Demetrious Johnson, of course, got the opportunity to return the favor against his Brazilian rival. He delivered a highlight-reel flying knee knockout against Adriano Moraes in their epic rematch at ONE on Prime Video 1 last August.
With the series tied at one knockout piece, the 1stBank Center in Colorado will play host to a trilogy bout for the ages with the ONE flyweight world championship hanging in the balance.
Demetrious Johnson is ready for whatever the future holds, win or lose
Demetrious Johnson is focused on retaining his ONE flyweight world title against Adriano Moraes this spring. What happens beyond that is of no concern to the multi-time world champion as his iconic career begins to admittedly wind down.
Speaking to SCMP MMA, ’Mighty Mouse’ says he’s not terribly worried about what comes after his third meeting with Moraes. He claims he is just going to enjoy the ride while it lasts:
“Obviously, it is what it is. I’m not the matchmaker, I don’t get to dictate what goes on with my career. I mean, I kind of could have had some match push-back. But I’m so far in my career that I’m not too concerned about it. I’m just here for a good time, don’t want to be here for a long time. We’ll see how it goes. Win or lose this fight, I’ll go and see what’s next.”
In addition to Johnson vs. Moraes III, ONE Fight Night 10 will feature a stacked lineup that includes the returns of ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt and Stamp Fairtex. Amazon Prime Video subscribers can watch ONE Championship’s U.S. debut in primetime live and for free on May 5th.