Demetrious Johnson Calls Winning ONE Championship Title ‘Cherry On Top’ Of Legendary Career
Demetrious Johnson is undoubtably the greatest flyweight in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
“Mighty Mouse” once found himself on a 13-fight win streak and capturing the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 11. He was then defeated by Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 via split decision, a fight that ultimately proved to be his last in the UFC.
Johnson was then traded to ONE Championship, where he made a thunderous debut with a second-round submission win over Yuya Wakamatsu. Now, Johnson is on a quest to capture the ONE Championship flyweight title, a feat he says would be the “cherry on top” of a legendary career (via BJPenn.com):
“I’d be ecstatic [to win the ONE flyweight title], it’d be another notch on my legacy,” Johnson said.
“My mindset right now is staying healthy and putting on amazing fights for ONE Championship. You know, I was the champion [in the UFC] for six years, I defended the title 11 times consecutively, pulled off some amazing submissions, pulled off some amazing fights. So for me, it’s a cherry on top.”
At 32-years-old, Johnson is already working on his retirement plan. Once he’s ready to finally hang up his gloves for good, Johnson wants to focus most of his time with his family:
“100% [I’d continue to work with ONE], as long as I’m able to do it and be a part of my children’s lives,” Johnson said. “When I retire from mixed martial arts, then most of my time is going to go towards catering to my family. I spend so much time away from them when I’m getting ready for the fights.
“It wouldn’t be fair of me if I was like ‘ok now I’m going to the second part of my career, and I’m leaving you guys for a long time.’ At the end of the day, I will be a part of ONE Championship and Esports, but I will be a part of my children’s lives.”
