EXCLUSIVE | Demetrious Johnson Denies Rumored Kickboxing Transition
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson hasn’t lost very often during his illustrious MMA career, with a 30-4 record that includes his long reign as the UFC flyweight champion and ESPN’s Fighter of The Year in 2017.
But after falling to Adriano Moraes for the ONE flyweight championship earlier this year, many questioned whether or not Johnson could compete against the best of the best after he alluded to a potential move to kickboxing.
Johnson spoke with LowKickMMA in an exclusive interview to clear the air on his earlier comments that he may explore his options including some Kickboxing fights, and what’s next for his MMA career.
After many speculated on what might be next for 34-year-old Johnson following his previously hinted transition from MMA to Kickboxing. During his post-fight press conference at ONE on TNT 1, alluded to trying out a few kickboxing matches before his career ends.
“I think, at the end of the day, the reason that I came to ONE Championship is I have options,” Johnson said in a post-fight scrum. “I feel if I want to do a kickboxing match, I can do that. Obviously, yes, I can go back into mixed martial arts, work my way back up to a title shot.”
But Johnson has changed his tune on the matter in recent days and went as far as vehemently denying a move from MMA anytime soon after ONE Muay Thai champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon called him out just weeks ago for a kickboxing match.
“No, that’s not the plan right now,” Johnson said when asked by LowKickMMA about a possible switch to kickboxing. “That was something I said when I was in quarantine for 10 days in Singapore. Rodtang is one of the best Muay Thai fighters on the planet. When I say kickboxing, I think when I say stuff like that, people take it to the extreme.”
“I couldn’t care less about being a Kickboxing world champion. So right now I’m just focusing on my next mixed martial arts fight.”
Johnson also weighed in on the new UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno’s performance against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263. He said he was “very impressed” with Moreno’s speed and combinations on the feet as well as his ground game that ended up finishing the fight.
After suffering the first knockout loss of his career, Johnson is ready to make his way back to the ONE Championship title discussion with a win over another top contender. While he isn’t ruling out an immediate rematch against Moraes, he’s focusing on what he can control and another title run late in his career.
“I’m planning on making my way back up to the belt right now, not an immediate rematch,” Johnson said. “I’m focusing on the path in front of me right now. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Do you think Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson can still perform at a high level against the best fighters in the world?
