Demetrious Johnson News

Tom Taylor - March 28, 2019

Yuya Wakamatsu is being counted out by almost everybody as he prepares to battle former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson this Sunday at ONE: A New Era in Tokyo, Japan. However, the 24-year-old Japanese fighter feels that he has some crucial advantages heading into this matchup with the MMA legend. One such advantage is his size.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 26, 2019

Former UFC champ and mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson can’t contain his excitement when talking about his ONE Championship debut at ONE: A NEW ERA which takes place 31 March at the iconic Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Johnson will be part of the highly-anticipated eight-man tournament, the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, which was designed to determine the top contender for the ONE Flyweight World Title currently held by Brazil’s Adriano Moraes.

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.

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 18, 2019

Demetrious Johnson did not hesitate to sign with ONE Championship after learning about their core values and how they treat their athletes from CEO Chatri Sityodtong. His excitement was evident when he flew to Singapore to witness a live ONE event late last year. “I’m very excited to be a ONE athlete,” Johnson said.

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.

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.

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.

Drake Riggs - December 19, 2018

The long-awaited promotional debuts of ONE Championship’s biggest acquisitions to date in former UFC champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie Alvarez have been set. On March 31, ONE will host their inaugural event in Japan as they head to Tokyo for a huge show.

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.

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.”

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.”

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 8, 2018

One of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s dreams as a martial artist is set to become a reality when ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced at the press conference of ONE: HEART OF THE LION at the Marina Bay Sands last Wednesday, 7 November the eight-man Flyweight World Grand Prix, which will be composed of eight of the best flyweights of the stacked ONE flyweight division. Though Sityodtong has yet to reveal the detailed set up of the tournaments, one thing is for sure, the winner will determine the undisputed champion one way or another.

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.”

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2018

After defending the UFC flyweight title a record-breaking 11-straight times, Demetrious Johnson absolutely deserved an immediate rematch with Henry Cejudo, who ended his title reign with a split decision victory at UFC 227 in August. Instead of pursuing this rematch, however, Demetrious Johnson and his team negotiated a move to Singapore’s ONE Championship.