ONE World Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson rose to fame in the UFC, but even he eventually made it past the eight walls of the Octagon.
Few world champions have been as consistent and dominant as ‘Mighty Mouse’ was in North America. But after 11 world title defenses, Johnson was ready for something new.
A split decision loss to Henry Cejudo, which could have sparked an immediate rematch, meant his future would mean revolving around the same fighters. That’s one of the reasons why he decided to find a new landscape to explore, and he got it in ONE Championship.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Demetrious Johnson had this to say about the move:
“I made my legacy in America in the UFC. I dominated in the division. I came up short in my last fight against Henry Cejudo, then I went to explore other options. I wanted more opportunities, like the Rodtang fight. That’s why I came to ONE Championship.” .
Demetrious Johnson was originally introduced to MMA fans at bantamweight, fighting Dominick Cruz for the world championship in 2011. He was one of the first two fighters to open the flyweight division and became the first champion in the 125 pounds over a decade ago.
Since signing with ONE Championship, he has enjoyed much of the same success as he did in his last promotion, going 4-1 and also capturing ONE’s world flyweight championship.
His only loss, a TKO loss to Adriano Moraes, was avenged a year later when he turned the tables on Moraes. As the two are clearly the top two flyweights in ONE Championship, they will fight again to see who is number one at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5th.
Demetrious Johnson sharpens tools with Henry Cejudo
Although the split decision loss to Henry Cejudo may have been contentious, there is no bad blood between the two today. In fact, they are training together.
Ahead of the big world title fights this May for each of them, Demetrious Johnson and ‘Triple C’ are at Fight Ready MMA in Arizona sharpening the sword.
Johnson posted a photo on his Instagram with Henry Cejudo, saying:
“We look so happy together right!!!??? Mighty & @henry_cejudo again booiissss!!!”
Needless to say, a rematch between the two probably won’t happen anytime soon.
Demetrious Johnson has another big fight coming up in Adriano Moraes. If he wins, he will be the best flyweight ONE Championship has ever seen. If not, that title is for Moraes.
ONE Fight 10 will take place on May 5 from Broomfield, Colorado, USA. The event streams on Amazon Prime for subscribers in the US and Canada.