By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Another legend has called it a career in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Thank you for raising the standard of combat sports, Demetrius ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson!
During the official press conference of the One Championship 168, Johnson stunned everyone when he confirmed that he would be hanging up his gloves for good.
“They wanted me to leave the belt in here, but I ain’t doing that. I came into this sport as a champ and I’m leaving as a champ too,” Johnson said.
Johnson first cemented his name as one of the greatest MMA champions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 13 years ago.
From the get-go, Johnson’s high octagon IQ, speed, and accuracy with his offensive strikes were quickly noticed by the majority, steering him to a fast progress in the biggest MMA stage at that time.
Johnson only needed a full year to earn a championship match in the UFC, which became his stepping stone to one of the most successful careers in the history of the sport.
The savvy operator bagged his first UFC flyweight title in 2012 when he defeated Joseph Benavidez via a close split decision win.
After that win, who would’ve imagined that Johnson would remain undefeated until 2017, successful defending his UFC belt 11 straight times.
However, Johnson’s dominant reign in the UFC would eventually come to an end when he lost against Henry Cejudo on August 4, 2018.
Johnson’s career didn’t pause and take a back step as he officially joined ONE FC, continuing his ring mastery in front of the Southeast Asian fans.
In his six-fight career at ONE, Johnson only dropped one fight against Adriano Moraes when he got knocked out via a vicious knee strike.
What a career, Mr. Johnson. Certified legend!
