“You’re also building your brand” - Demetrious Johnson talks about the importance of making the right investments while fighting
MMA legend Demetrious Johnson believes that a successful career in fighting is not only measured in championships won but also if the athlete makes a good living out of it, not only while competing but also after. It is something that he has learned to do in his illustrious career and wants others to pick up as well.
'Mighty Mouse' spoke about this in the latest episode of his podcast, which was recorded in Hawaii with now-retired ONE Championship superstar Angela Lee and premiered on Wednesday.
The reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion Johnson said:
"Yes, the belt is the ultimate goal. But through that journey, we need to make sure you're making as much money as possible, and you're also building your brand so that when you're done, there's something that you can do afrerwards."
Check out what he had to say below, beginning at 58:20:
Podcasting is one of the things Demetrious Johnson has ventured into to complement his successful martial arts career, which now includes competing in jiu-jitsu apart from his traditional lane of MMA.
His podcast, where he discusses various aspects of combat sports with top names in different martial arts disciplines, has now over 695,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Demetrious Johnson says he is now enjoying work-life balance
ONE flyweight MMA world champion Demetrious Johnson said he is not yet retired from competing in ONE Championship but admitted that at the moment he is just enjoying work-life balance.
The American champion was last in ONE action in May last year in the United States, where he successfully defended his world title against Brazilian rival Adriano Moraes in their trilogy title fight.
In an interview with former MMA fighter Michael Bisping on the Brit's Believe You Me podcast earlier this year, 37-year-old Johnson shared his status as a fighter, saying:
"I'm still active, you know. I'm going through this time of my life where I'm at home with my kids, with my wife ... So, right now, fighting is in the back. I've just been focusing more on building my brand, my YouTube, and jiu-jitsu. And jiu-jitsu is fun. I train three days a week with the kids, and I can just go away, compete for a weekend, and then come back to my family."
Demetrious Johnson has been part of ONE Championship since 2019 and has won six of his seven matches.