Demetrious Johnson News
EXCLUSIVE | Bibiano Fernandes gave Demetrious Johnson a few tips ahead of ONE Championship debut
Tom Taylor - March 22, 2019
Bibiano Fernandes, arguably the most successful fighters in ONE Championship history, never expected to compete on the same card as his long-time friend and training partner Demetrious Johnson. When ONE Championship traded Ben Askren to the UFC in exchange for Johnson, however, it was suddenly a possibility. As luck would have it, Bibiano Fernandes and Demetrious Johnson are both set to compete at ONE: A New Era on March 31 in Tokyo — in back-to-back fights.
Demetrious Johnson says TJ Dillashaw should face Marlon Moraes next
James Lynch - March 18, 2019
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson wasn’t a fan of super fights when he competed for the Las Vegas based promotion and that still holds true as he gears up for his ONE Championship debut. “Mighty Mouse” spoke with Helen Yee of “Eyes on The Game” on the current UFC bantamweight title picture amid rumblings of a potential rematch between champion TJ Dillashaw and current flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo.
Demetrious Johnson happy with how ONE Championship represents martial arts
BJPENN.COM Staff - March 14, 2019
Being a 12-time UFC champ, Demetrious Johnson is considered one of the all time greats. When ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced late last year that Johnson would be joining the promotion, one of the American’s deciding factors in joining was hearing Sityodtong’s take on martial arts as a whole.
ONE: A New Era in Tokyo is absolutely stacked
Tom Taylor - February 21, 2019
On March 31, Asian martial arts powerhouse ONE Championship will make its debut in the MMA hotbed of Tokyo, Japan with ONE: A New Era. This card, which will emanate from the hallowed Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in the city’s Sumida ward, is absolutely stacked. The card will be topped by a whopping four ONE Championship title fights, including one champion-versus-champion showdown.
ONE Championship announces US media tour featuring Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez and Sage Northcutt
Tom Taylor - January 29, 2019
Press Release — The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), is excited to announce its first ever media tour to the United States on 25-28 February. The tour comes shortly after Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (DJ), Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and “Super” Sage Northcutt announced their decision late last year to join the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship. Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound mixed martial arts World Champions of all time. He is a 12-time flyweight World Champion. Alvarez is a multiple-time lightweight World Champion across various major mixed martial arts organizations and is easily a fan-favorite. Northcutt is one of the most promising young martial arts talents in the world.
Demetrious Johnson happy for Henry Cejudo, 'it was never my division'
Drake Riggs - January 23, 2019
At UFC Brooklyn this past Saturday night, Henry Cejudo potentially saved the UFC flyweight division by starching UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in just 32-seconds. To win the belt, Cejudo dethroned the greatest champion in UFC history, Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson.
Joe Rogan compares legacies of Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2019
Speaking on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, UFC commentator Joe Rogan began heaping praise on former UFC flyweight champ and new ONE Championship star Demetrious Johnson. In Rogan’s eyes, the man they call “Mighty Mouse” is simply the best ever.
EXCLUSIVE | Meet Yuya Wakamatsu: the knockout artist tasked with welcoming Demetrious Johnson to ONE
Thomas Taylor - January 4, 2019
Yuya Wakamatsu couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he was offered the opportunity to welcome Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion and one of the best fighters ever, to the ONE Championship cage. Wakamatsu has competed just once for ONE Championship so far and came up short in his debut effort, losing a decision to Danny Kingad. As such, he didn’t expect to receive this kind of offer so soon. Nonetheless, this was an opportunity he’d been dreaming of for years, and one he simply couldn’t turn down.
ONE Championship announces starting dates for flyweight, lightweight tournaments
Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018
In November, ONE Championship announced that it will it be promoting a flyweight and lightweight Grand Prix in the New Year. On Friday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to Twitter to announce the kickoff dates for these two anticipated tournaments.
EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson opens up on the potential closure of UFC flyweight division
Tom Taylor - November 30, 2018
It’s a strange and worrying time for the UFC flyweight division. The former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has been traded to ONE Championship in exchange for welterweight talent Ben Askren. A procession of long-time UFC flyweights have been released from their contracts, including Justin Scoggins, Jared Brooks, Roberto Sanchez, and most recently, Ulka Sasaki. Rumors that the promotion plans to close the division have been rampant, and when pressed about these rumors, UFC President Dana White hasn’t exactly provided cause for optimism… “The flyweight division just never took off, it never caught on,” White said on a recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “Even with a dominant champion like Demetrious, it just never caught on. People didn’t care. I battled for a long time, I tried to keep it alive and obviously, it’s still going on now. We still have fights going on in that division, but we’ll see what the future holds for it.”
EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson excited for fresh start, new challenges in ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - November 25, 2018
Demetrious Johnson no longer calls the UFC’s Octagon home. After a legendary, 18-fight stint with the Las Vegas promotion, the long-time UFC flyweight champion was traded to Singapore-based martial arts promotion ONE Championship in exchange for top welterweight talent Ben Askren. Several weeks after this unprecedented swap was made official, Demetrious Johnson boarded a plane to Singapore to meet the ONE Championship team and take in the stacked ONE: Heart of the Lion card.
BJPENN.COM Radio Ep. 105 // Demetrious Johnson | Yancy Medeiros | Garry Tonon | Christian Lee
Jason Kindschy - November 23, 2018
Demetrious Johnson joins us to have an in-depth discussion regarding his UFC departure and subsequent signing with ONE Championship. The pound-for-pound king will give us the inside scoop as to how this deal got done, his thoughts on the challenges he faces against an entirely new roster of opponents, and why Demetrious believes his talents will be far better appreciated by the Asian fans. You’ll also hear the latest on his involvement with ONE Championship’s pursuance of the E-Sports market, his reaction to the UFC’s dissolving the flyweight division, and a whole lot more from “Mighty Mouse.”
EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson excited about the promotional push he's receiving from ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - November 8, 2018
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is now a ONE Championship fighter, and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he’s a perfect fit for the promotion. Mere weeks into his time as a ONE Championship fighter, he’s already being pushed by the full muscle of the promotion’s substantial marketing department. Given that he occasionally felt a little under-promoted by the UFC, he’s very excited about this. “It feels good,” Demetrious Johnson told BJPENN.COM in Singapore this week. “I think with the UFC, their model is different than ONE Championship’s is. They’re looking for the next big star and trying to push out that next pay-per-view. And that’s what the North American audience wants. They want to see confrontation.”
EXCLUSIVE | ONE two-division champ Aung La N Sang offers advice to Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson
Tom Taylor - November 7, 2018
Former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson are far and away the biggest free agent signings ONE Championship has ever made. Both fighters have the potential to become dominant champions in their respective divisions, as well as lucrative stars for the promotion —much like Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang. Aung La N Sang, who currently holds the ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight belts, is one of the biggest and best established stars to emerge from the Singapore-based promotion.
EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson reacts to news of ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix
Tom Taylor - November 7, 2018
At a Wednesday afternoon press conference in Singapore, ONE Championship announced plans for a Flyweight Grand Prix. This intriguing flyweight tournament is expected to feature stars such as reigning ONE flyweight champ Geje Eustaquio, former champions Adriano Moraes and Kairat Akhmetov, rising contender Danny Kingad, and of course, new ONE Championship athlete Demetrious Johnson. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp3qsDKhUCi/
Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson join 104 martial arts world champions on ONE Championship roster
BJPENN.COM Staff - November 1, 2018
Both Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson, former UFC champions, announced that they have joined ONE Championship within two weeks of each other. The news obviously ran up many headlines. The Johnson for Ben Askren trade in particular was the biggest acquisition in history for the Asia-based promotion. Alvarez, 34, has won world championships in the biggest mixed martial arts promotions in the world, and has made it clear that he’s intent on capturing a third major title.
Demetrious Johnson discusses retirement plans ahead of ONE Championship debut: 'ONE is the last stop'
Tom Taylor - October 30, 2018
After a lengthy and history-making stint in the UFC, former UFC flyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson is headed to ONE Championship. Johnson is expected to debut with the Singapore-based martial arts powerhouse in early 2019. Despite his massive accomplishments in the UFC, however, he does not expect an immediate title shot against ONE flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio. Instead, he’s expecting to fight another top ONE flyweight such as Kairat Akhmetov or Danny Kingad.
Dana White's parting thoughts on Demetrious Johnson: He 'never really got the love and respect he deserved from the fans'
Thomas Taylor - October 29, 2018
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who shattered the record for most consecutive title defenses by a UFC champion with 11-straight victories, is headed to Singapore-based Asian MMA powerhouse ONE Championship. The widespread feeling is that the former champ will fit in well in his new home and be well-received by fight fans in Asia. This is good news, considering the fact that Johnson never quite caught on with UFC fans. Although he was one of the sport’s most dominant champions, and the dynamo behind some of the most incredible performances in recent memory, he was never quite what you’d call a needle-mover for the promotion.