Tag: Demetrious Johnson

Former UFC champ ‘comfortable’ saying Tom Aspinall could beat Jon Jones

Demetrious Johnson thinks Tom Aspinall has the physical attributes to beat Jon Jones.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] believes [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] has the physical attributes to beat UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag].

Interim champ Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is hoping to get his title unification bout with Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC), who defended his title with a third-round TKO of Stipe Miocic in Saturday’s UFC 309 main event.

Jones wants to be compensated handsomely for a potential Aspinall fight, and Johnson sees Aspinall as the man to beat him.

“I think Tom Aspinall has the speed, the athleticism and the power to give Jon Jones problems,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “Tom Aspinall is still young, and he’s still getting better, but I think this version of Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall is very – Tom Aspinall can beat him.

“I feel comfortable saying that just because you have somebody who’s going to take the fight to Jon Jones and not be scared. Now, can Tom Aspinall run into one of those elbows and a spinning back sh*t and a flying knee? One thousand percent.”

Johnson’s current pecking order at heavyweight goes PFL heavyweight superfights champ Francis Ngannou, Jones, then Aspinall. He thinks Ngannou would also be a tough stylistic matchup for Jones.

“I wish I would have seen Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall because once again, I still think the heavyweight king of the world is probably Francis Ngannou because he never lost the heavyweight championship,” Johnson said. “He knocked out Stipe Miocic, and that was when Stipe Miocic was a little bit more active. …

“I think Francis has the power factor and the athleticism, and I bet you he can probably defend Jon Jones’ takedown, and I bet you he can probably deal with Jon Jones’ range.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.

2024 MMA retirement tracker: A list of those who hung up the gloves

Here’s a list of every notable retirement announced by fighters from the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and more in 2024.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently, fighters from the era who helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves in order to move on to the next chapter in life.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete, and perhaps more importantly get a payday, will continue to drive fighters back even well beyond their expiration dates.

2024 has already seen a number of notable fighters announcing they are done with the sport, and we have a list of those who have opted to walk away this year (the list will update as new retirements are announced).

This date in MMA history: Demetrious Johnson starts historic UFC flyweight title reign

A dozen years ago, “Mighty Mouse” made history.

A dozen years ago, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] made history.

“Mighty Mouse” outworked Joseph Benavidez for a split decision in the final of a four-man tournament to become the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. It was the start of a run in the division that will be hard to topple.

Johnson defended the 125-pound title 11 consecutive times before he lost it in a highly debatable split decision to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 a little more than six years ago. After that, he moved to ONE Championship, where he won that promotion’s 135-pound title before he recently announced his retirement.

On the anniversary of that first UFC flyweight title fight, take a look back at Johnson’s UFC title wins while he was considered by many to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez, UFC 152

Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez, UFC 152

Johnson def. John Dodson, UFC on FOX 6

Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson, UFC on FOX 6

Johnson def. John Moraga, UFC on FOX 8

Demtrious Johnson vs. John Moraga, UFC on FOX 8

Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez, UFC on FOX 9

Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez 2, UFC on FOX 9

Johnson def. Ali Bagautinov, UFC 174

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov, UFC 174

Johnson def. Chris Cariaso, UFC 178

Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso, UFC 178

Johnson def. Kyogi Horiguchi, UFC 186

Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyogi Horiguchi, UFC 186

Johnson def. John Dodson, UFC 191

Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson 2, UFC 191

Johnson def. Henry Cejudo, UFC 197

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Johnson def. Tim Elliott, TUF 24 Finale

Demetrious Johnson vs. Tim Elliott, TUF 24 Finale

Johnson def. Wilson Reis, UFC on FOX 24

Demetrious Johnson vs. Wilson Reis, UFC on FOX 24

Johnson def. Ray Borg, UFC 216

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg, UFC 216

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Demetrious Johnson: UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili’s conditioning will be X-factor vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

Demetrious Johnson sees UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili having a major advantage over Umar Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] sees UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] having a major advantage over [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defeated Sean O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a dominant decision win to claim the bantamweight title in Saturday’s UFC 306 main event at Sphere in Las Vegas.

Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is waiting in the wings for his title shot, but Dvalishvili is not sold on him being No. 1 contender. However, if Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov do end up fighting, Johnson thinks Dvalishvili’s gas tank will give him an edge.

“This is going to be interesting because I feel his conditioning is going to be the X-factor because we know he’s not going to stop,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “He’s going to be a busy bee around the octagon to where this gentleman (Nurmagomedov) has the high kicks, he’s very long, he’s very big, and he also has the wrestling.

“But he does not have the work ethic like this man (Dvalishvili). Not saying he doesn’t have the work ethic, he doesn’t have just that, ‘I’m coming to smash you, I’m coming to smother you,’ like Khabib. This man (Dvalishvili) has that bear gene where he just comes and gets you, where he’s (Nurmagomedov) more strategic.”

Nurmagomedov competed in his first main event at UFC on ABC 7 in August, when he outlasted Cory Sandhagen in what was dubbed as a title eliminator.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

Demetrious Johnson explains reason behind retirement: ‘I don’t find mixed martial arts fun anymore’

Demetrious Johnson revealed why he decided to hang up his gloves.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] revealed why he decided to hang up his gloves.

Former UFC flyweight champion Johnson (25-4-1), who defended the title 11 times, announced his retirement from MMA this past week. He retired as the ONE Championship flyweight (135 pounds) title holder.

“Mighty Mouse” explains that he’s reached a point where he gets more fulfillment in training with random athletes from his era than continuing to fight in MMA.

“I’m not going to fight anymore, and the reason why is, I don’t find mixed martial arts fun anymore,” Johnson said on his “MightyCast” podcast. “Reason why is because I find more fulfillment in doing jiu-jitsu because I feel it’s harder. I find more fulfillment in helping and training with different people. If I ever wanted to feel Merab’s gas tank, I want to see how good he is, I want to feel his strength, the only way that would ever happen is if me and you were to fight each other.

“If I was a professional athlete, right? It would just never happen. But if I’m like, hey, I don’t care about winning. I don’t care about, you know, ever having an opportunity to fight you. ‘Hey Merab, can I come train with you?’ Yeah, you’re like, ‘Demetrious come train.’ And then when we train together, you’re not going to have like, ‘I need to beat you.’ You’re trying to learn from me. I don’t know. I’ve never trained outside of training camp when I would fight.”

Johnson has stayed active with grappling and jiu-jitsu competitions, but no longer feels like he’s growing when he fights. He competed in his final MMA bout in May 2023, when he successfully defended his ONE flyweight title in a unanimous decision win over Adriano Moraes to complete their trilogy.

“Once I get ready for a fight and I beat somebody, it’s like, OK, I beat him, I made this money – which is great,” Johnson said. “But I didn’t get to learn anything in that 25 minutes, if that makes sense.”

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Video: Where does Demetrious Johnson rank on the GOAT list?

Demetrious Johnson announced his retirement from MMA. We reflect on his legendary career on “Spinning Back Clique.”

One of the all-time greats, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has called it a career.

The former UFC and ONE Championship champion announced his retirement from MMA last Friday in an emotional message on the ONE 168 broadcast. Johnson (25-4-1) defended his UFC flyweight title 11 consecutive times, which is the current record for the most consecutive UFC title defenses.

There’s no doubt “Mighty Mouse” is great, but where exactly does he rank among the greatest of all time? What kind of legacy does he leave behind?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia react to Johnson’s retirement and reflect on his impressive body of work.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/suYDv4qZZAk

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Daniel Cormier praises ‘universally respected’ Demetrious Johnson after MMA retirement

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier pays homage to Demetrious Johnson.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] appreciates [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag].

Johnson, a former UFC flyweight champion who defended the title 11 times, announced his retirement from MMA during the ONE 168 broadcast this past week. “Mighty Mouse” (25-4-1) called it a career as the ONE Championship flyweight (135 pounds) title holder.

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong named Johnson as the first inductee into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame, and UFC CEO Dana White said Johnson will also have a place in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Cormier thinks Johnson’s character should be praised as much as his in-cage achievements.

“I think what spoke the truest to Demetrious Johnson, he left to ONE FC and finished his career there,” Cormier said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “We did the best fighters of all time, and he was sitting right up on that stage with us breaking down fighters because he gets respect. That’s one of the hardest things in the world to get, especially when you’re dealing with a whole bunch of alpha personalities in the sport, to be universally respected. Demetrious Johnson is universally respected, not only as a fighter but as the father, as the husband.

“He’s a great guy that truly does deserve all the credit and accolades and everything he’s going to get in this next phase of his career. And he’s a guy – he’s small, but he don’t take no stuff. That big body building YouTuber was like, ‘I’ll grapple DJ,’ and DJ goes and submits him. Demetrious will beat on you. So many great memories inside the octagon, but he also made great memories outside the octagon, and he’s building a great future for himself. So congratulations, Demetrious Johnson, one of the greatest champions the UFC has ever seen.”

Johnson, who was ranked No. 3 on MMA Junkie’s 30 Greatest UFC Fighters of All Time list, competed in his final MMA fight in May 2023 – a trilogy against Adriano Moraes. He successfully defended his ONE flyweight title by unanimous decision.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Sean Brady’s big win, Demetrious Johnson retires, UFC 306 preview, more

On the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, we discuss Sean Brady’s win over Gilbert Burns, Demetrious Johnson’s retirement, UFC 306, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • A couple of fresh faces stepped into title contention, while a couple of veterans were set back. Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242, [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] picked up a big win, dominating [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] to win a unanimous decision in the main event. [autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag] also earned a win on the scorecards against former champion [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]. We discuss those two key wins, along with other highlights from the card.
  • UFC wasn’t the only brand in action. Bellator Champions Series: San Diego  saw [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] defend his lightweight title in the main event. Former UFC contender [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] picked up a big KO win over Levan Chokheli, cementing himself as a No. 1 contender. What’s next for Nurmagomedov? Can Larkin become champion at 38? We discuss.
  • A legend of the game decided to hang up the gloves. Former UFC and ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] announced his retirement. Where does Johnson rank among the all-time greats? What legacy does he leave behind? We look back at the career of “Mighty Mouse” and his impact on MMA.
  • For our final segment, we look ahead to UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The card, which celebrates Mexican Independence Day weekend, features two title fights: [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Merab Dvlashvili[/autotag] in the main event, and [autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] 3 in the co-main. We analyze the pair of championship fights, along with other featured bouts on the card.

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Brandon Moreno reacts to ‘legend’ Demetrious Johnson’s retirement: ‘Bare minimum top five of the greatest of all time’

Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno reacts to Demetrious Johnson’s retirement from MMA.

MIAMI – [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] is officially done with MMA. And like many, [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] can’t say enough good things about his fighting career.

Johnson, who’s considered by many the greatest flyweight in MMA history and an all-time great, announced his retirement from MMA on Friday in an emotional message at during the ONE 168 broadcast. The big news left many with plenty to say, including Moreno.

“Incredible,” Moreno told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I actually had the opportunity to meet with him a few weeks ago. I trained with him. He’s an incredible person and very cool, chill guy.

“He’s a legend of the sport, and he’s at a bare minimum top five greatest of all time. So yeah, all the best to him. He’s now doing a career as a jiu-jitsu fighter. He competed in the world masters a few weeks ago in Las Vegas. He was very close to getting gold. He’s got tons of energy left, maybe not in professional MMA, because he’s already done a lot for the sport, but we’ll continue to see him.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-5wh9eSwg-/

Moreno (21-8-2 MMA, 9-5-2 UFC), a former UFC flyweight champion and the second man to hold the 125-pound UFC belt after Johnson’s departure from the promotion, returns to the cage on Nov. 2 after taking a break from the sport.

The Mexican star takes on top contender Amir Albazi (17-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Moreno looks to snap a two-fight losing skid and get himself back in title contention.

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Dana White reacts to Demetrious Johnson’s retirement, confirms future UFC Hall of Fame induction

Dana White didn’t hesitate when asked if Demetrious Johnson has a future in the UFC Hall of Fame.

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] didn’t hesitate when asked if [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has a future in the UFC Hall of Fame.

Former longtime UFC flyweight champion Johnson announced his retirement from MMA competition Friday at ONE Championship 168 in Denver. After making his exit from the UFC following a long tenure in an unprecedented “trade” for Ben Askren in October 2018, “Mighty Mouse” went on to claim the ONE flyweight title.

Johnson’s retirement was met with celebration for his decorated career, which included a record 11 consecutive title defenses and a plethora of other records, from across the MMA community.

White was asked for his thoughts in an interview with John Morgan of Grind City Media following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 event in Las Vegas, and he offered praise to Johnson.

“If you could go back to when he was here, I was defending him from the fans. So who has defended Demetrious Johnson more than me? Good for him. Incredible career he had; I’ve never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson.”

Following his retirement speech, Johnson became the first fighter to be inducted to the ONE Championship Hall of Fame. It appears that won’t be the only place he’ll be enshrined, because White said his spot in UFC history is coming, too.

“Absolutely (he will be inducted),” White said definitively.

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