Tag: Demetrious Johnson

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

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.

[lawrence-related id=2768477,2768468,2767325]

Demetrious Johnson announces MMA retirement; becomes first ONE Championship Hall of Famer

Demetrious Johnson has decided to call an end to his legendary career, and became the first inductee into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.

One of the greatest of all time, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], is now a retired mixed martial artist.

During the ONE 168 broadcast, Johnson (25-4-1) stepped into the cage to announce his retirement, ending a legendary professional MMA career that began in 2009. The former UFC flyweight champion has decided to call it a career, and is taking the ONE Championship flyweight (135 pounds) title with him.

While quipping jokes to help fight through tears, Johnson thanked his team and his family for being by his side throughout his journey in combat sports over the years.

“Like I said last time, when I came here to Denver, Colorado, I told you guys that was potentially my last fight, and I was not lying,” Johnson said during his speech. “I am done. I am done competing in mixed martial arts, and I want to say thank you guys so much for giving me the opportunity.”

[lawrence-related id=2768477]

The fight Johnson referred to was his championship trilogy bout victory against Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10, which took place last May in Denver.

Immediately after Johnson’s announcement, ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong also had one to make.

https://twitter.com/ONEChampionship/status/1832256973783347217

“He is not only the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, but also the first inductee into the Hall of Fame in ONE Championship, DJ!” Sityodtong said.

Johnson, who landed at No. 3 on MMA Junkie’s 30 Greatest UFC Fighters of All Time list, put himself on the map during his WEC days in 2010, prior to the UFC merger. He competed as a bantamweight in his first three UFC bouts, losing a decision to Dominick Cruz in a fight for the division’s title in 2011.

The next year, the UFC added the flyweight division, and Johnson claimed the vacant title by defeating Joseph Benavidez by split decision at UFC 152. He would go on to defend the title 11 times, creating multiple records in the process.

Johnson left the UFC after a split decision loss to Henry Cejudo in a title rematch, and joined ONE Championship, where he won the flyweight grand prix in his first three fights with the promotion. He then challenged for Adriano Moraes’ title, but was finished in the second round at ONE on TNT 1.

However, the following year, “Mighty Mouse” got his revenge spectacularly, creating a memorable fourth-round knockout by flying knee to become champion. Johnson went on to win a unanimous decision in the trilogy against Moraes, successfully defending the title in his final MMA contest.

[lawrence-related id=2727908,2699515,2693777]

Demetrious Johnson: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic ‘would still sell as many pay-per-views’ without UFC title

Regardless of the stakes, Demetrious Johnson sees Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic as a massive fight.

Regardless of the stakes, [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] as a massive fight.

Many have criticized UFC heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) for opting to defend his title against Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) over interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) has competed six times since Miocic last stepped into the cage, which was a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in March 2021.

“Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic doesn’t even need to be for a belt,” Johnson said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “Like, that’s a legend fight, those two fighting. It would still sell as many pay-per-views. I’m sure Jon Jones is going to get the exact same f*cking pay whether he’s champion or not, but I can’t dictate Jon Jones’ career.

“I’m not going to dictate what he should or he can’t do. Me as a fan, I would love to see Jon Jones fight Tom Aspinall. But if he doesn’t and he goes, ‘I’m going to just fight Stipe, he’s a household name,’ go ahead, do your thing, Jon.”

Jones was scheduled to face Miocic at UFC 295 before Aspinall entered the title picture, but withdrew due to injury. Former two-time UFC champion Miocic is considered the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time, but Johnson worries how the inactivity will impact him.

“When I look at Stipe, he hasn’t fought in four years. The last time he fought, he got knocked out. How’s his body feeling? It’s hard being away from the fight game for four years. He’s doing amazing things. He’s a firefighter, but it’s going to be very, very hard.”

Jones’ first title defense vs. Miocic is targeted for UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

[lawrence-related id=2767081,2767066,2766749,2765328]

Demetrious Johnson: Right now ‘boxing is more exciting than mixed martial arts’

Demetrious Johnson argues that boxing is more appealing than MMA at the moment.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] argues that boxing is more appealing than MMA at the moment.

Johnson, a former longtime UFC flyweight champion and current ONE flyweight champ, has been more intrigued with boxing’s storylines over MMA’s.

“Right now I feel like boxing is more exciting than mixed martial arts, right?” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “I mean, there are points of time where mixed martial arts is having its peaks, but right now you just have Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney. Ryan Garcia just popped.

“Then you had Francis Ngannou, who got knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Then you just had the beautiful Tyson Fury and (Oleksandr) Usyk, just beat him, became the heavyweight champion. That fight was absolutely amazing. From Round 1 to Round 12, I was at the edge of my seat.”

Johnson has previously mentioned that he’s unsure of his MMA future and recently expressed interest in making his boxing debut. He looks forward to Saturday’s UFC 302 headliner between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier at the most in MMA, as he sees it as Poirier’s last shot at becoming undisputed champion.

“Right now we’re sitting here waiting for in the mixed martial arts world,” Johnson said. “We have a couple things going on. ONE Championship, we got Kade Ruotolo making his debut in mixed martial arts. We got a couple other things. But right now, I think that the story we’re waiting for in mixed martial arts is Islam taking on Dustin Poirier.”

[lawrence-related id=2727908,2723913]

Demetrious Johnson: Alexandre Pantoja didn’t look like a better fighter than Steve Erceg at UFC 301

Demetrious Johnson is not sold on UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] is not sold on UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag].

Pantoja (28-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) retained his flyweight title by outlasting Steve Erceg in Saturday’s UFC 301 main event at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Johnson thinks Erceg (12-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) leant too much into Pantoja’s game which cost him.

“He literally just gave the fight away by trying to wrestle a guy who can’t box,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “This is the biggest thing: I think it just comes from experience for Erceg, just not having experience of finishing someone when you know you’re beating the hell out of them.

“End of the fight, great fight. I think Erceg gave that fight to Pantoja. I think if Erceg would have stepped behind his jab, stop f*cking wrestling him, he would have been fine.”

Johnson thinks Erceg inflicted more damage than Pantoja, who was sliced open courtesy of an elbow by the Aussie. After watching the fight, former longtime UFC flyweight champion Johnson didn’t see Pantoja as a step above Erceg as a fighter.

“I was impressed by Steve Erceg,” Johnson said. “I honestly thought Alex Pantoja was going to get his back and finish him. Steve Erceg was the better striker. He did way more damage in that fight against Alex Pantoja. I think Steve Erceg just didn’t get going a lot sooner. I felt like he made some bad decisions in the fight. … Steve Erceg was destroying Alex Pantoja on the feet. Alex Pantoja was bloodied up.

“Yes, Steve was getting hit, but those shots weren’t significant enough to make Steve worry about his standup. Then Steve would shoot a double leg against the better grappler, the better scrambler. That’s what I felt allowed Alex Pantoja to stay in the fight and win the fight. When I was watching the fight, I didn’t feel like Alex Pantoja was a better fighter. He’s the champ. His grappling is his strongest suit. But if you keep him away from his grappling, you can take advantage of him.”

Johnson pointed to recent UFC flyweight champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Henry Cejudo as more impressive fighters than Pantoja during their run.

“When I look at the past champions, when I look at Figueiredo – absolute amazing champion,” Johnson said. “(He had) power, great athleticism. When I look at Henry Cejudo, he would move, and move so good, he’s finishing people.

“And when I look at myself, I was moving, finishing people. And then when I look at Pantoja, it’s almost like he’s getting through the fight. He’s not excelling through the fight. It’s not like he’s getting stronger as the fight goes on.”

[lawrence-related id=2738608,2738656,2737937,2738485]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.

Demetrious Johnson aspires to ‘box a legend of the sport,’ not a fellow MMA fighter

Demetrious Johnson has excelled in multiple forms of combat sports and now wants to lace up boxing gloves in seek of a new challenge.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has excelled in multiple forms of combat sports, and now he wants to try his hand at boxing.

The former longtime UFC flyweight champion and current ONE flyweight champ recently made headlines for submitting 6-foot-3, 248-pound BJJ heavyweight champion Michael Sante Medina at an open-weight tournament at the 2024 Pan IBJJF Championships.

Now “Mighty Mouse” wants to lace up the gloves in seek of another big challenge.

“I’m going to break some news right now,” Johnson said on his MIGHTYcast podcast. “I literally came home last night, I broke down some content, and I was watching Canelo Alvarez. I was watching him box, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, that looks so damn dope.’ I went to the gym, I did jiu-jitsu, then I came home that night and I was in the kitchen, I was like, ‘Babe, I think I want to box.’ …

“I’m 37, going to be 38 this year. There has to come a point in time when an athlete is like, ‘Hey, you need to stop, chill, you’re doing good things.’ I’m getting ready for my next jiu-jitsu competition. So that’s probably why my body is ready to hit a hard training camp. I’d love to box, and it has to be the right opponent. If it was like Manny Pacquiao, f*ck it, I’m doing it. It has to be the right opponent. I don’t want to box another MMA guy. I wouldn’t mind, but I want to box a legend of the sport.”

While Johnson (25-4-1) dabbles in other forms of combat sports, he is unsure of his MMA future. He hasn’t competed since retaining his flyweight title in a trilogy bout against Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023.

[lawrence-related id=2699515,2693777]

Watch ONE flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson take on ‘big f*cking’ BJJ heavyweight

A foot shorter and nearly 100 pounds lighter, watch Demetrious Johnson deal with taking on a BJJ heavyweight champion.

“That’s a big f*cking dude!”

ONE flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] realized he may have bit off more than he could chew as he approached the mats.

Michael Sante Medina, a 6-foot-3, 248-pound BJJ heavyweight champion, stood in position waiting for “Mighty Mouse’s” arrival for the open-weight tournament at the 2024 Pan IBJJF Championships. Johnson, who stands at 5-foot-3, weighed in at 155 pounds for the event.

“If I don’t make it, tell my story to my wife, OK?” Johnson said into the camera on an all-access video on his YouTube channel.

Regardless of the size difference, Johnson took a bow and jogged onto the mat, eager to figure out how to solve a massive puzzle.

It wasn’t easy early on, as Medina swung Johnson around like a small child – or, as Johnson would describe it, like a scene from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze” when Rahzar spun Michelangelo in circles before launching him across a warehouse.

Perhaps unsurprisingly as one of the best mixed martial artists to ever do it, Johnson figured out a way to get the job done, and ended up tapping his much larger opponent.

Check out the whole match in the video below, along with those in his weight class, in which he took gold:

[lawrence-related id=2699515,2693777,2640381]

Demetrious Johnson: Anthony Joshua can beat Francis Ngannou in MMA, too

Demetrious Johnson has made a bold claim in regards to Anthony Joshua’s chances vs. Francis Ngannou in MMA.

[autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] has made a bold claim in regards to [autotag]Anthony Joshua[/autotag]’s chances vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in MMA.

Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Joshua (28-3) Friday in the featured bout of Knockout Chaos at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.

Although he initially picked Ngannou to win, Johnson went as far as saying Joshua would get the best of the former UFC heavyweight champion in an MMA fight.

“Does Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou in an MMA fight? I think he does,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “It would just be another striking match. AJ understands his distance. He understands the void. He has better hands than Francis, and he can make Francis even whiff and miss again. Unless Francis is going to change his tactic and go clinch him and wrestle him, (Joshua would win). But AJ is very athletic. He is smaller, he’s more limber. I think he’d be able to stuff the shot and be able to give it to Francis Ngannou.”

Johnson thinks if MMA fighters are going to continue to crossover to boxing, they need an adequate amount of time to prep.

“I’m not saying Francis has not taken it seriously,” Johnson said. “If I was to take a boxing match, I will probably spend eight months to a year preparing myself for the boxing match. Reason why is because the punches come faster. The movement is different. There’s only one weapon, and you only can use one weapon, right? I can’t use my kicks. I can’t use my knees. I can’t use my elbows. I can’t use my wrestling. How am I going to cross the void when I can’t use all the weapons I’ve been using for the last 18 years?

“Another thing that could have been Francis’ downfall was he had that boxing match with Tyson Fury. So Anthony Joshua got an opportunity to see Francis fight boxing. What he took from the boxing match on Francis vs. Tyson? He probably took, ‘OK, Francis doesn’t move his head. He doesn’t really move his head. He’s not very light on his feet,’ where Tyson Fury, he’s kind of light on his feet and Tyson’s trying to avoid the fight. This time, Anthony Joshua got right to work right off the bat, and that’s usually not a good sign if the other opponent doesn’t respond.”

[lawrence-related id=2722781,2722774,2722745,2722569]

For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.