Bantamweight legend Demetrious Johnson has no regrets about his decision to leave the UFC for Asia’s ONE Championship in 2018.
More than four years ago, Johnson traded the Octagon for the Circle in a trade that saw Ben Askren move in a different direction. With him, “Mighty Mouse,” who is widely considered a contender in the MMA GOAT debate, leaves a promotion that dominated the 125-pound division from 2012 to 2018 and has defended the gold 11 times.
While “Funky” quickly disappeared from the UFC after going 1-2 in 2019, Johnson has fared better since crossing the globe to Asia. In his first three appearances during the ONE Championship Flyweight Grand Prix. The Kentucky native went a perfect 3-0, defeating Danny Kingado in the finals to claim the silver belt.
Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Johnson missed 2020 from the ring; nevertheless, he made a comeback in April to battle Adrian Moraes for the reign. After being knocked out by a knee from the Brazilian champion. “Mighty Mouse” unexpectedly lost the fight by way of stoppage.
But even though he didn’t end up going gold on that occasion, DJ is certainly still “happy” with the move to ONE.
Johnson is already “pleased” with the UFC-ONE transfer
During a recent interview with The Schmo, Johnson reflected on his move to the Singaporean martial arts organization. When asked if he will leave unhappy if he fails to capture the flyweight title. “Mighty Mouse” explained why he has already achieved what he wanted with his move to the promotion.
Johnson insisted, “No (I don’t need the championship), I’m satisfied whether I earn the belt or not. I believe that switching to ONE Championship was a smart step for me, both professionally and merely to challenge myself. To be among the top fighters in the world. In my opinion, you must be able to compete on both sides of the Atlantic.
The list goes on and on when I consider Rampage Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Wanderlei Silva, and [Mirko] Cro Cop. Those individuals began their journey in Asia before arriving in America, “Johnson continued. “I began in America, and I’m now finishing in Asia. I’m willing to battle for both sides of the planet, in my opinion.
With that in mind, perhaps crowning a championship would come as the cherry on top of Johnson’s in-ring tenure. He’ll have a chance to secure it next month when he kicks it back with Moraes in the main event of ONE 161. Set to air live in prime time in the US as the first event of the promotion’s new deal with streaming giant Amazon. Prime Video.
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