5 Things You Need To Know About Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been considered the best pound-for-pound mixed martial arts in the world for quite some time, and now, he is the latest big name to join ONE Championship.
After dominating the competition in North America for the past decade, the 32-year-old flyweight superstar is ready to test himself in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
Before the American superstar enters The Home Of Martial Arts, here are five key facts you should know about him.
#1 He Used To Compete As A Bantamweight
Johnson’s frame may be best suited for the flyweight division, but earlier in his mixed martial arts career, before the weight class had been fully adopted by the major organizations in North America, he competed as a bantamweight.
The Washington native’s first 16 bouts as a professional mixed martial artist were contested in the bantamweight division, and he amassed a stellar record of 14-2. In October 2011, he even challenged for the UFC Bantamweight Title.
Despite being outsized, Johnson went a full five rounds, but fell on the wrong side of a unanimous decision.
“Mighty Mouse” may have lost out in his maiden World Title challenge, but he permanently dropped to the flyweight division in his next bout, and went on to capture the weight class’ inaugural belt less than a year later.
#2 He Is The Greatest World Champion To Ever Compete In The Cage
When the UFC opened up a flyweight division in 2012, Johnson had the opportunity to compete in his natural weight class against similarly-sized opponents, and flourished.
The American won the inaugural UFC Flyweight Title in September of that year, and went on a record-breaking run of dominance which remains unchallenged to this day. He successfully defended the belt 11 consecutive times, which is a mixed martial arts all-time record.
Johnson also has the most wins in UFC flyweight history (13) and the longest winning streak in the division (13 bouts).
#3 He Is Bibiano Fernandes‘ Training Partner
Johnson is a longtime teammate, training partner, and student of ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandes, the most dominant World Champion in ONE history with eight title defenses.
The pair train together at AMC Pankration under Matt Hume, but the 38-year-old also doubles up as Johnson’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach. Most recently, he promoted the flyweight sensation to brown belt.
Fernandes’ career has run parallel to that of his teammate. The Brazilian captured the ONE Bantamweight World Championship just eight months after Johnson won the inaugural UFC Flyweight Title, and they ran through a succession of challengers in their respective organizations.
Now, after years of training together, the duo will now compete together under the same banner.
#4 Why He Is Called “Mighty Mouse”
Few athletes in mixed martial arts have a more appropriate nickname than Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.
The American is small in stature but mighty in spirit, as he demonstrated throughout his early career when he competed against bigger, stronger opposition in the bantamweight division.
Even after his move up to flyweight, Johnson often found himself conceding height and reach to his opponents.
However, much like the superhero whose name became his moniker, “Mighty Mouse” showed that his skills and spirit were big enough to overcome adversity, as he rose up the ranks to become one of the greatest athletes to ever put on a pair of 4-ounce gloves.
#5 He Is An Xbox And Twitch Fanatic
In addition to being one of the finest mixed martial artists on the planet, Johnson is also an avid gamer, and has become a hugely successful streamer.
“Mighty Mouse” discovered the gaming streaming platform Twitch one evening while putting his son to sleep, and soon established himself on the growing platform as a notable “celebrity” streamer.
Johnson has since built a dedicated gaming studio in his house, where he regularly streams gameplay to his gaming fanbase, answers questions, and interacts with fellow streamers while playing a wide range of video games.
He even suggested that one day he may swap the 4-ounce gloves for a controller and a headset, and take up streaming full-time.
However, that is a career goal for a little further down the line, as Johnson is about to embark on a new, exciting chapter to his stellar mixed martial arts career as a member of the ONE roster.
