Tag: Demetrious Johnson

House B, with Diaz brothers and Sean O’Malley, leads pack on MMA Junkie’s fighter house lockdown poll

House B seems to be a popular choice, wonder why…

Well, the people have spoken.

In a world where most of us have been told by their governments to practice social distancing and stay in our homes to help stop the spread of COVID-19,  MMA Junkie asked its reader which hypothetical fighter house they would rather spend lockdown in to ride out these tough times in the global pandemic.

The following houses were the options in play:

  • House A: [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Artem Lobov[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag]
  • House B: [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]
  • House C: [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]
  • House D: [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag], [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag], [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]

From a deep dive into the comment section on MMA Junkie’s Instagram, House B seemed to be the post popular choice followed by House D, House C, and House A. Do you agree with the fan picks?

Below you can find our reader’s choices on which fighter house they would rather spend lockdown in:

ONE Championship stars deliver the positivity we all need during the coronavirus lockdown

Demetrious Johnson and Angela Lee head a list of ONE Championship’s stars offering words of support to fans during the coronavirus crisis.

We all need a little positivity in our lives right now, and the stars of ONE Championship are on hand to deliver.

A host of ONE Championship’s biggest names joined forces to share a message of support to their fans around the world as we all battle to cope with a new way of life during the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Recording video messages from their homes, ONE stars [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Martin Nguyen[/autotag], [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag], [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag], [autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag], and [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] came together to send their positive messages to everyone as the world adapts to life during the global lockdown.

Demetrious Johnson, ONE flyweight grand prix champion

“I just want to give everybody some positive vibes. Take some time to enjoy the family and get things done that you don’t have time normally to do. I know a lot of people are going crazy. They can’t go to their gym, they can’t work out, they’ve got to stay on their fitness grind. Don’t worry about that. That’s gonna be there.”

Martin Nguyen, ONE featherweight champion

“I know the world’s going through a disaster at the moment. I urge everyone to please stay home, stay safe, be with family. You are not alone in this situation. The world will all get through this together.”

Sage Northcutt, ONE championship lightweight

“I know right now the world is fighting off this coronavirus and for so many of us to set back, set back our family, our work, the things we do in our day-to-day life. But our success comes in overcoming this hardship, and defeating it. So don’t give up, keep your faith up, stay strong and together we’re stronger. We’ve got this.”

Aung La N Sang, ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion

“It’s important that we keep safe. It’s important that we stay healthy, hydrated and get plenty of sleep, because if our immune system’s weak, we can be compromised. So it’s very important our immune system is strong and our body is healthy. Stay safe, guys.”

Angela Lee, ONE women’s atomweight champion

“We’re all going through a very uncertain time, and I know it may be hard, but we’ve got to stay positive. Yes, life may not be like it usually is. There’s some things we have to change, things that get in the way. Trips canceled, fights delayed. But I can guarantee you there’s at least one thing that you can be grateful for right now. So let’s count our blessings. Let’s stay grateful, stay healthy, and we’ll get through this together.”

Vitor Belfort, ONE championship light heavyweight

“This virus affects every place on the planet. And the lesson is everyone is locked down, everyone is struggling, but I believe the lesson we learn is love your kids more. More time for you to dig inside of you. Who are you? What’s your identity? Remember, we are one – one people fighting one virus. This virus is so small, so tiny. How can that thing can everybody down on their knees? Don’t stay down. Stay positive. Get back up. Do as much as you can right now. Isolate yourself. Time now is in your favor. Let’s use it. Be smart. We are all one. Let’s go.”

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Aung La N Sang vs. Jon Jones? Fantasy matchmaking with ONE Championship’s Michael Schiavello

ONE Championship commentator Michael Schiavello chatted with MMA Junkie as he shared his dream fights to make once the MMA world gets back into full swing.

With no fights set to take place for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, much of the MMA world has been left pondering which big fights they’d love to see when the world gets back to normality again.

One man who has a wish list packed with blockbuster super fights is ONE Championship commentator Michael Schiavello, who chatted with MMA Junkie to offer his suggestions for some of the biggest post-coronavirus matchups he’d love to see under the ONE Championship banner later this year, as well as a pair of dynamite cross-promotion fantasy fights involving ONE Championship and UFC stars.

Aung La N Sang vs. Jon Jones

Schiavello: “[autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] vs [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is such a battle of styles and a battle of range.

“How does Aung La handle someone with the range of Jon Jones? He got past the range of Vera pretty easily, but Jones uses his range on a whole other level. And how does Jones react when he hits Aung La with these long-reaching high knees and hands and legs, and Aung La walks through them, gets in his face and lands that steel pipe to his jaw, and touches him up?

“That would be magnificent. But it also depends a lot on where you’re going to hold this match. If you hold it in the U.S., in Jones’ backyard, an obvious advantage swings to him. But if you hold this in Yangon, in Myanmar, in a soccer stadium with 50,000 people in there, I’m telling you, a big advantage swings back to Aung La. That crowd alone is like nothing you’ve ever seen in your life.

“I’ve commentated the biggest combat events. I’ve done the Olympics, I’ve done K-1, I’ve done DREAM, I’ve done Dynamite, I’ve done 80,000 people in the Tokyo Dome – I’ve done them all. But I’ve never heard anything like 10,000 inside Thuwunna Indoor Stadium when Aung La is fighting. To say you can’t hear yourself think is true. I can’t hear myself commentate these fights, even though I’ve got my headphones cranked up to 10 out of 10 on my levels. I can’t hear myself. It’s nuts.

“For anyone to come into that atmosphere – for Jon Jones to step into Myanmar and compete in that atmosphere – it’s so overwhelming. People might read this and go, ‘Come on, Schiavello! Jon Jones will obliterate Aung La.’ People are thinking you can’t compare Aung La to Jon Jones, but no, man. If you’re going to compare, you have to compare in all the aspects, and one big aspect is Aung La in Myanmar is untouchable, unbeatable. What would happen if Jones stepped into Aung La’s backyard and did it there? There’s so many factors, and that’s what makes it a fantastic match.”

Zhang Weili vs. Xiong Jing Nan

Schiavello: “From a population viewpoint, clarifying they’re [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] and [autotag]Xiong Jing Nan[/autotag] – imagine the eyes on that, just from China alone.

“You put Xiong Jing Nan against Zhang. Who’s the better? Who’s the real superpower between those two? Two ferocious athletes who have completely different styles. That would be magnificent. That would be a great fantasy double-header right there.”

Next up: A huge fight for the biggest title in ONE Championship

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Michael Schiavello: Why Demetrious Johnson is a ‘much better fit’ in ONE Championship

“He really does put the ‘art’ in martial arts,” which is much more appreciated in Asia than in the West.

Anyone who doubted the wisdom of [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] making the switch from the UFC to ONE Championship was sorely misguided, according to the man who now calls “Mighty Mouse’s” fights.

ONE commentator Michael Schiavello said he thinks the record-breaking former UFC flyweight champion is already more appreciated as a ONE athlete than he was during his UFC tenure, and he puts it down to the different philosophy of the fans in the arena watching him in action.

“I think he’s a much better fit (in Asia),” Schiavello told MMA Junkie. “I think, with Demetrious’s personality and his approach to the martial arts and his approach to the perfection of his craft, this for Demetrious is not fighting. This is not just going in there and bashing in someone’s skull so he can take home a hefty paycheck.”

While many in the western world use the term “fighters” as a catch-all description for the men and women who compete in mixed martial arts, Schiavello said the Asian MMA audience tends to see them as athletes, martial artists or, simply, as artists.

“Every time I talk to him, even though he’s pound-for-pound one of, if not the best in the world, it’s always a matter of, ‘I can improve.’ He’s always trying to improve his craft, and I think (he) gets the respect for that now in Asia, where the practice of martial arts is considered still a craft rather than just fighting. Demetrious is embraced across Asia as a craftsman, a master craftsman of the highest order who is always working on his art, and his art form is himself.”

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That mentality of never feeling like the finished article has helped drive Johnson (30-3-1) to new heights as he became the most dominant champion in UFC history before switching promotions to take on the best in Asia with ONE.

Rather than jumping straight into a title fight, Johnson entered the ONE flyweight grand prix and defeated three of the organization’s top contenders to capture the tournament title and earn a shot at three-time champ Adriano Moraes (18-3). And even though the Brazilian is a 12-fight veteran of the promotion, Schiavello says Johnson’s career resumé and approach to the latest chapter mean he already has the respect of the fans in Asia.

“There’s an old saying that a work of art is never completed; it’s only ever abandoned. And when you look at someone like Demetrious, that’s the way I think he’s embraced,” Schiavello explained. “He’s a work of art in progress. He’s still showing us things we haven’t seen before, or if we have seen them before, he’s doing them a little better, a little differently here in ONE Championship. There are differences in the weight cutting, in the rules, in the way bouts are judged over here, so maybe he has a little more room to move and express himself that he didn’t have in the West before in the UFC.

“So certainly I think that Asia is a better place for him. It’s where he can express himself, not as a fighter, but as an artist – he really does put the ‘art’ in martial arts. And he’s still a developing, improving, martial artist, a craftsman honing his trade.”

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Demetrious Johnson to challenge for ONE flyweight title at ONE Infinity 1

Demetrious Johnson will challenge for the flyweight title at ONE Infinity 1 in Jakarta on Friday, Apr. 10.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] will look to add a second ONE Championship belt to his collection at ONE Infinity 1.

The record-breaking former UFC flyweight champion captured the ONE flyweight grand prix title in 2019, and along with the colossal championship belt he received for his efforts, he was also handed a shot at reigning ONE flyweight champion, [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag].

That matchup will form the main event of ONE Infinity 1, which takes place at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday, Apr. 10. The event will be streamed live on B/R Live, with prelims on MMA Junkie.

Johnson (30-3-1) made his high-profile switch from the UFC to ONE in a much-publicized so-called “trade” that saw Ben Askren head in the opposite direction, and has looked as sharp as ever inside the ONE Championship circle.

“Mighty Mouse” kicked off his tenure with his new promotion with a second-round submission of Yuya Wakamatsu in the quarterfinals of the grand prix tournament at “ONE Championship 92: A New Era” in March 2019, then followed up with a dominant unanimous decision win over Tatsumitsu Wada at “ONE Championship 99: Dawn of Heroes” four months later. He captured the grand prix title in the final with another unanimous decision, this time against Filipino fan-favorite Danny Kingad to put himself in line for a shot at three-time champion Moraes (18-3).

The co-main event in Jakarta sees the return of two-division ONE champion [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag]. “The Burmese Python” holds the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, as well as a knockout win over current heavyweight champion Brandon Vera. Now N Sang (26-10) returns to action as he puts his middleweight belt on the line against the man he defeated to win it back in 2017, Russia’s [autotag]Vitaly Bigdash[/autotag].

Then-champion Bigdash (10-2) defeated N Sang in their first meeting at “ONE Championship 51: Quest for Power” in January 2017 after the Myanmar athlete stepped in on short notice to challenge for the title. But, despite losing a unanimous decision, N Sang had done enough to warrant a rematch with a full camp, and he made his second chance count as he turned the tables on Bigdash to claim a unanimous decision of his own after a breathless five rounds at “ONE Championship 56: Light of a Nation” in Yangon, Myanmar.

Injury and an untimely defeat to Leandro Ataides kept Bigdash from his chance to face N Sang again in a trilogy fight, but that matchup will now finally take place in Jakarta, with the ONE middleweight strap on the line once again.

A third title will also be on the line in Jakarta, as ONE light heavyweight kickboxing champion Roman Kryklia puts his title on the line for the first time against Andrei Stoica.

ONE Infinity 1 confirmed fights:

  • Champ Adriano Moraes vs. Demetrious Johnson – for flyweight title
  • Champ Aung La N Sang vs. Vitaly Bigdash – for middleweight title
  • Champ Roman Kryklia vs. Andrei Stoica – for light heavyweight kickboxing title

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Demetrious Johnson previews ONE Championship title fight and its meaning to his legacy

Demetrious Johnson eager to add ONE Championship belt to his list of MMA accolades.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] soon will have the chance to add another championship belt to his collection.

The ONE Championship flyweight grand prix winner and former UFC champ challenges Adriano Moraes on April 11 for the undisputed flyweight title. It’s been almost eight years since Johnson (30-3 MMA) entered a title fight as a challenger.

Despite not having challenged a champion since his bout against Dominick Cruz at UFC on Versus 6 in 2011, Johnson doesn’t feel much different than his days as champion.

“I feel exactly the same. I don’t see myself as a challenger,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “I see myself as just another athlete trying compete and trying to win a fight and win a world title, you know. I mean, even when I was a champion in North America, I didn’t see myself as the, I don’t know … I don’t see people as the challengers or the champion. I just see two athletes going to compete. And that’s about it.”

The title shot against Moraes comes on the heels of a successful three-fight run that had Johnson winning the ONE Championship grand prix. Johnson feels proud to have earned the title shot in the promotion, rather than have it given to him upon signing with ONE Championship due to his pedigree as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“I’ve always believed that’s how it should be,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I think there’s a pecking order, you know. There’s guys who’ve been in the division a lot longer than I have. So the way that ONE Championship wanted me to do it was to take all the best athletes in that division: Kairat Akmetov, Danny Kingad, Tatsumitsu Wada, Yuya Wakamatsu. So they took all the best athletes in that division and put them in to determine who’s going to get the next title shot.

“Obviously, I came out victorious, so earned me a title shot instead of if I were to run my gums and bump my gums, (that) could’ve earned me a shot. Or just the pedigree I came into the organization with, how much I already accomplished could’ve warranted a title shot. But, you know, I’m not above working for a title shot. I proved myself, won three fights in a row, and I fought the No. 1 contender, Danny Kingad. He’s the only guy who’s, you know, lost to Adriano Moraes. And it’s great. Now I get a chance to fight for the world title.”

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With everything Johnson has accomplished, getting a hold of a ONE Championship title would be a good way to further his historic legacy. “Mighty Mouse” is happy to get a chance to do that on April 11.

“It’s going to be another notch on the belt,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be another notch in the accolades, all of the things I’ve done in my mixed martial arts career. My goal is just go down as one of the best to ever do it in my career. You know, 15, 20 years from now, people who jump in this sport of mixed martial arts, they’re going on YouTube to type in Demetrious Johnson, mighty whiz bar. That’s what it’s about for me, to leave a name and put on great fights.”

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Demetrious Johnson glad UFC flyweight division survived, weighs in on Henry Cejudo’s antics

Demetrious Johnson shares his thoughts on the UFC continuing with the 125-pound class, Henry Cejudo’s cringe, and a potential trilogy fight.

A lot has gone down in the UFC flyweight division since [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag]’s departure.

The former longtime UFC champion left the organization in late 2018, not long after his split-decision loss to [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag], which ended a reign that began with the title’s 2012 inauguration.

 The loss marked the end of Johnson’s six-year run as champion, during which he notched 11 successful title defenses – making him the UFC record holder for the most in a row.

Johnson (30-3-1) then was essentially traded for Ben Askren to ONE Championship in a historic deal.

Following Johnson’s departure, plenty took place at 125 pounds in the UFC. There was champion vs. champion superfight pitting Henry Cejudo against T.J. Dillashaw in which Cejudo won the bantamweight belt, a relinquishing of the flyweight belt by Cejudo, and most controversially, an alarming number of fighter cuts from the company, which left the division’s existence in question.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Johnson revealed talk of eliminating the flyweight division was already underway before he left to compete for ONE.

“Yeah, of course it has, I wasn’t outspoken about it, but it is what it is,” Johnson said. “I understand the company is about making money. Right. And then they felt like the division wasn’t making money, then go ahead, scrap it. And that’s it.

“I was like, ‘Well, hey, close the division and I’ll just go to 135. We do new contracts, et cetera, et cetera.’ But I’m glad the division is still moving forward. I’m glad Joseph Benavidez is getting his chance to fight for the title again. I wish both athletes nothing but the best, and I look forward to see who’s going to be the third champion of the flyweight division.”

After missing time due to injury, Cejudo relinquished his title in December. Not long after, a five-round contest between top contenders Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo was scheduled for the vacant belt.

It seems the UFC flyweight division is safe for now, as fighters are getting signed again to compete at the weight, fights are being scheduled, and there’s a championship fight in place. Johnson is happy to see Cejudo draw the attention needed to keep the division afloat, despite not coinciding with his style of going about things in his career.

“I wasn’t going to change,” Johnson said. “This is who I am, right? This is who I am. I’m not going to put on a mask or pretend I’m somebody who I’m not. This is who I am. I’m a dude who likes to take care of his wife and kids. And then, when everybody’s asleep, I get to play some video games. ‘World of Warcraft’ or ‘PUBG,’ and that’s it. I go to the gym and I bust my ass. This is this who I am. I can relate to half of the people in the world, which is a hard-working man.

“So I’m happy that Henry Cejudo was able to do that and be able to be very successful defending the belt and going up and becoming the bantamweight champion as well,” Johnson continued. “So, yeah, I mean, I’m happy he was able to do it.”

Despite being glad about the continuation of the flyweight division, “Mighty Mouse” never worried for the fighters who might have potentially lost their jobs, as he believes there’s plenty of options for fighters outside the UFC – more than people realize.

“Everyone thinks that’s the only home in the world,” Johnson said. “It’s not the only one home in the world. You look at Sergio Pettis, he went on to Bellator, he’s fighting at 135. I’m pretty sure he made a good penny. He probably got paid more than half of the flyweights on the UFC roster.

“So I mean, that’s not the only home. Look at me; I’m over in ONE Championship. Look at Eddie Alvarez, he’s over at ONE Championship. You look at Kyoji Horiguchi, he’s at Rizin. Look at Lance Palmer, he’s in PFL making a million dollars. He’s made $2 million, right? There’s many, many great organizations out in the world. And for people to think that there’s only one that’s going to make let you have a great living or whatever, you’re living in a box.”

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Many think what convinced the UFC to retain the 125-pound weight class was Cejudo’s self-admitted cringe persona, which is polarizing in MMA. Many enjoy it, though many others don’t. Johnson didn’t mind Cejudo’s antics, and said he finds it entertaining.

“It was more entertaining when people came and told me, ‘What the (expletive) is this dude doing? Is he really going to be fighting women now?'” Johnson said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, don’t worry about it. ‘Triple C’ is doing what he wants to do,’ and then I go, ‘He’s doing exactly what he wants you to do. Just talk about him, right?’

“And so I got more kick out of that, where people I’d be working out or just hanging out, and people would come over and be like, ‘What the (expletive) is this dude doing?’ and I’d go, ‘What are you talking about,’ and they’ll tell me what he did.”

Johnson and Cejudo have split a pair of fights. “Mighty Mouse” handed Cejudo his first professional loss, stopping him in the first round at UFC 197 in 2016. Cejudo defeated Johnson in the UFC 227 rematch.

With both continuing to find success, many ponder the idea of a trilogy fight. Johnson is not as enthusiastic of the idea as others. He’d be open to fight Cejudo one more time, but he’s not going to go out of his way to pursue a third bout with the Olympian and said he won’t lose sleep if the trilogy doesn’t come to fruition.

“I always look at what’s ahead of me,” Johnson said. “And what’s ahead of me, it’s Adriano Moraes. And then obviously, like, I just don’t like, that’s like me thinking about the Brad Pickett, the Dominick Cruz (loss). Those fights I’ve lost. Do I ever think about trying to get those back? No, I don’t even think about it.

“I mean, if the opportunity arose were for some reason, Henry Cejudo would the end up in ONE Championship, and he was working his way up, then let’s say I beat Adriano Moraes and I become the champion, and he’s over here, yeah, I would love to find him again. But am I going to sit here and like, it’s not, it’s something I don’t really think of.”

Johnson, who won the ONE flyweight grand prix in 2019, will challenge ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes at “ONE Infinity 1” in Jakarta, Indonesia on Apr. 10.

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ONE Championship launches ‘ONE Infinity Series,’ Demetrious Johnson to headline first event

Asian martial arts promotion ONE Championship launches new event brand, with Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson set to star in the inaugural event.

Asian promotion ONE Championship is continuing its expansion with the launch of a new series of top-tier martial arts events.

Branded “ONE Infinity Series,” the events will feature what a promotional press release describes as “the very best the world has to offer in terms of global sports and entertainment.”

The new-look events will feature “a minimum of 12 world champions, super fights, A-list celebrities and much more,” with the first event set to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 10. The inaugural event will be branded “ONE Infinity 1.”

The new event replaces the originally scheduled ONE Championship event set for Chongqing, China on April 11, which has been scrapped due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the region. ONE officials stated that, as things stand, all other events on their published schedule will proceed as planned.

Headlining the relocated, rebranded event will be one of MMA’s A-list competitors, as former UFC flyweight champion and newly-crowned ONE flyweight grand prix champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] (30-3-1) challenges reigning champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] (18-3) for the ONE flyweight title in the main event.

ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong formally launched the new event brand via press release, stating, “It is my pleasure to introduce ONE Infinity Series, the world’s apex brand for martial arts events. ONE Infinity Series is a cut above anything available anywhere on the planet. Comprising the biggest events of the year, these blockbusters represent the very best ONE Championship has to offer in terms of world championship talent, star power, martial arts skill, entertainment value, and historical importance.”

Confirmed ONE Championship events for 2020 include:

  • Feb. 28 – Singapore
  • March 20 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
  • April 10 – ONE Infinity 1, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • April 17 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • May 29 – Manila, Philippines
  • June 5 – Jakarta, Indonesia
  • June 20 – Shanghai, China
  • July 3 – Singapore
  • July 10 – Bangkok, Thailand
  • Aug. 14 – Manila, Philippines
  • Sept. 4 – Singapore
  • Sept. 11 – Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Sept. 18 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • Oct. 2 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
  • Oct. 9 – Bangkok, Thailand
  • Oct. 25 – Tokyo, Japan
  • Oct. 31 – Beijing, China
  • Nov. 20 – Singapore
  • Dec. 4 – Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Dec. 11 – Manila, Philippines
  • Dec. 18 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Demetrious Johnson plans to retire with ONE Championship: ‘I love this organization’

Demetrious Johnson says he’ll close out his career with ONE Championship and weighs-in on what retirement would look like.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] is not going anywhere.

The ONE championship flyweight grand prix winner and former UFC champion doesn’t see himself switching organizations before hanging up his gloves. Johnson was traded from the UFC to ONE Championship in a historic deal for then ONE Championship fighter Ben Askren in late 2018.

Johnson (30-3 MMA) left the UFC regarded as one of the best fighters on the planet. He was coming off a close split decision loss to Henry Cejudo, but prior to that was on a 13-fight winning streak – which included 12 victories in UFC championship bouts. Today, Johnson remains the record holder for most consecutive title defenses in UFC history and is still considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

There’s no question Johnson’s UFC resume is impressive and one that’s tough to match. It’s one of several reasons why Johnson has no interest in leaving Asia to fight again for an American promotion.

“I will retire at ONE Championship. This is my last organization,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “I love this organization. I love everything they stand for, I love how they take care of the athletes, so this is my last (organization). This is it. Once I’m done, I’m retired. I’m like, ‘I’m done, peace,’ because there’s nothing else for me to prove for North America. There truly isn’t. …

“I’m trying to make something of myself over here in Asia. And if I’m able to get another piece of gold, fantastic. If not, I look to put on some great spectacular performances. Fighting in North America for pretty much the majority of my career and each time I traveled to Asia, they’re like, ‘Can you please come over here and fight for us?’ We want to see you fight live, we want to see you fight live.’ I’m like, ‘OK, maybe one day I will.’ Now I’m over here fighting live for them. So I’m giving them what they wanted.”

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Johnson has gone 3-0 since signing with ONE. He claimed the flyweight grand prix and is expected to challenge for the undisputed belt April 11 against champ Adriano Moraes.

Although Johnson knows where he wants to finish his career, the end still isn’t near. He sees himself fighting for quite some time.

“I give myself five more years,” Johnson said. “It all depends on the body, right? Like, I’m 32 years old (last year). I fought three times last year. I think I’ll probably fight twice this year. So as long as my body (is healthy), I’m having a fun with it, and I’m enjoying it, I’m just going to keep on going. But if I start, you know, getting knocked out, getting CTE and concussions and broken bones, I’m like, this isn’t worth it. I’ll focus on myself.

“I’m just being a realist. You know what I mean? I’m 33 years old. If I put five years at ONE, that’s what, I’m going to be 38 years old if my math is correct. Right, right, 38, 39. Then I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I’m done. I think I’m done.”

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Retirement still seems far for Johnson. Yet, fortunately he’s been preparing for the day he’s no longer a professional fighter. Johnson might not know exactly what he wants to focus on, but he will have the time and resources to give it a good thought.

“If I’m spending my money, I’ll just do whatever the f*ck I want to do,” Johnson said. “Excuse my language, but yeah, obviously I think mixed martial arts is always going to be part of my life.

“Obviously I would love to help out teammates of mine and help them through the same journey that I’ve gone through as a professional athlete. A little bit of gaming, but you know, I’ve always been very smart with my money.

“Ever since I remember fighting, I remember fighting my very first fight in WEC. I remember being there in the locker room. Dana White was like, ‘I’m going to give $65,000 to Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night.’ And I remember being in the car and I’m like, ‘Man, I’m about to buy me. I’m about to buy me a WRX STI, can’t wait.’ And I remember my coach, Matt (Hume), turned around and he goes, ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to buy a car, you’re going to buy a house, you’re going to invest. That’s what you’re going to do.’

“So I’ve always been good with my money ever since that first fight in WEC, and that was back in 2010. I’m 10 years deep in the game, and I’ve been very successful in my career so far, and I only look to be even more successful. So my goal is after I’m done I could decide whatever I want to do.”

To hear more from Johnson on retirement, watch the video above. And for the full one-on-one interview, check out the video below.

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