While some may have forgotten about Demetrious since he no longer performs in the UFC, he has gone on in ONE Championship to carry on his greatness and prove to the world that he deserves to be talked about when it comes to P4P #1 spot. “Mighty Mouse” is 31-4 across two different weight classes and organisations. With the majority of his fights being championship-level, he truly shows the perfect way to blend together all aspects of MMA.
UFC
During the majority of his UFC career, he was flyweight champion defending his title 11 times. Demetrious acquired the belt in September 2012, defeating Joe Benavidez for the first time by a split decision. In 2013 he defended his belt three times, with the most notable win being his KO victory over Benavidez in their rematch.
Johnson defended his title twice in 2014. In 2015 he submitted Horiguchi in round 5 with one second left, showing he never stops looking for the finish. Also, in 2015 “Mighty Mouse” went on to beat John Dodson for the second time with a unanimous decision victory.
“DJ” kicked off 2016 with a brutal stoppage of Henry Cejudo using multiple knees to the body, forcing the TKO victory. He then beat the winner of ‘The Ultimate Fighter Season 24’ Tim Elliot, by decision.
In 2017 he defended his belt twice, one of them being the viral never seen before ‘Wizbar’ against Ray Borg. This win showed the world that Johnson is one of the best at mixing styles together and evolving as a fighter. In 2018 he rematched Henry Cejudo and lost a close split decision, which many think could have gone either way, and that led to him being traded for Ben Askren.
ONE Championship
Johnson happily went to ONE Championship, where he was announced he was going to be part of the ONE flyweight Grand Prix. “DJ” went on to win the Grand Prix fighting three times in 2019. He finished Yuya Wakamatsu with a guillotine and gained two unanimous decisions, and this secured him a title shot against Adrian Moraes.
His shot at the belt came in April 2021, and unfortunately for Demetrious, he was violently knocked out in the second round with a devastating knee from Moraes. After this defeat, Demetrious Johnson was given the opportunity to compete in a ‘super fight’ against one of Muay Thai’s most well-known fighters Rodtang Jitmuangnon. This fight was a special fight where the 1st and 3rd round was Muay Thai and the 2nd and 4th rounds MMA. “DJ” won the fight in the second round with a rear naked choke submission gaining him a lot of fans and respect.
This then brings us to his most recent fight in August on the 26th, where he had his anticipated rematch with Adrian Moraes. He ended up securing the victory in the fourth round after he rocked Moraes with a right hand and then switched the lights off with a spectacular knee.
Demetrious Johnson P4P?
Demetrious Johnson truly has the right to be talked about when it comes to Pound for Pound greats. The way that he blends all aspects of MMA together is a way that not many other MMA fighters can do at the top level. With never seen before submissions, brutal one-shot KO abilities and the fact that he has been at the top level of fighting for so many years at different weight classes and organisations, he truly is one of the greats. What is your opinion on the pound-for-pound list, and where does Johnson rank on it?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
