Demetrious Johnson Calls ONE Debut ‘Next Step In His Evolution’

Legendary former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is set for his ONE debut on the main card of this weekend’s (Sun., March 31, 2019) ‘A New Era’ from Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

He’ll take on Pancrase Flyweight Tournament champion Yuya Wakamatsu in a challenging welcome to the growing Asian MMA promotion. Johnson discussed the match-up at today’s official ONE: A New Era official press conference from Tokyo. ‘Mighty Mouse’ said his ONE debut is the next step in his evolution as a fighter.

It’s also going to be interesting, he claimed, now that his longtime coach Matt Hume won’t be in his corner for the first time in many years:

“For me, this is the next step as the evolution of an athlete. This will be the first time in my career, probably 10 years, since my coach won’t be able to corner me. So, it should be interesting.”

A New Challenge

Ever the consummate pro, Johnson heaped praise on Wakamatsu and his camp. As for his trip to Japan, he believes it’s been a long time coming. He’s ready to compete for his Japanese fanbase:

“I’m looking forward to challenging Yuya Wakamatsu, he’s a great Japanese athlete, in the Flyweight World Grand Prix. It’s going to be interesting. He comes from a great camp, Tokyo Tribe. For me, it’s been a long time coming for me to come out here to Japan and fight in front of my Japanese fanbase for ONE Championship.””

Part Of Making History

With ‘A New Era’ promising to be ONE’s biggest-ever event by a wide margin, Johnson acknowledged the scope of the event. He also brought up his good friend Bibiano Fernandes, who will take on Kevin Belington for the ONE bantamweight championship at ‘A New Era’:

“It’s an honor to be part of this historic event – four world title fights. It’s an opportunity to build a fight for my ‘brother from another mother,’ Bibiano Fernandes.”

Finally, Johnson promised his fans he would not disappoint them. He’s been training hard, and knows he can’t take Wakamatsu lightly:

“And I won’t disappoint you guys, I’ve been training very hard. I haven’t taken Yuya Wakamatsu very lightly.”