MMA News

Tag: Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson

  • Demetrious Johnson Joins UFC Hall of Fame 2026 Class

    Demetrious Johnson Joins UFC Hall of Fame 2026 Class

    One of the greatest MMA fighters ever, let alone the man who innovated the flyweight division, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will now officially be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

    The announcement was made during the main card broadcast of UFC Seattle, with “Mighty Mouse” in attendance. Johnson will be a part of the Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing.

    Demetrious Johnson To Be Inducted Into UFC Hall Of Fame

    Johnson made his professional MMA debut in 2009, going 5-1 before being brought into the UFC after its acquisition of the WEC.

    Johnson won his first two UFC fights before falling to Dominick Cruz in an attempt to capture the UFC bantamweight title in October 2011.

    In 2012, Johnson dropped in weight and entered the UFC’s new flyweight division. After battling Ian McCall to a draw, he defeated McCall in a rematch before a controversial decision over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 to become the inaugural champion.

    That started a legendary run for “Mighty Mouse,” where he placed his name into the UFC’s record books. During his run between 2012 and 2018, he made 11 consecutive successful defenses, the most in UFC history. It’s also the second-most successful defenses in promotion history, only behind Jon Jones.

    He’s not only been in the most UFC flyweight title fights, but Johnson also has the most victories via submission in UFC title fights with five. Johnson’s highlights in his title run include a literal last-second submission of Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186, a finish of Henry Cejudo at UFC 197, and his flying armbar win over Ray Borg at UFC 217.

    Johnson lost the title against Cejudo at UFC 227 via split decision before being “traded” to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren. After winning the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix, Johnson was finished by Adriano Moraes at ONE on TNT 1 in April 2021.

    Johnson won the ONE flyweight title in a rematch with Moraes in August 2022. He then won their trilogy bout in May 2023 in what ended up being the final fight in Johnson’s career, retiring as ONE flyweight champion.

    Johnson joins a 2026 UFC Hall of Fame class that includes Dominick Cruz and the UFC 248 bout between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

  • ‘The True GOAT!’ – Fans React To UFC Legend Demetrious Johnson Retiring From MMA At ONE 168

    ‘The True GOAT!’ – Fans React To UFC Legend Demetrious Johnson Retiring From MMA At ONE 168

    Demetrious Johnson, the inaugural UFC flyweight champion, just announced his retirement from MMA at ONE 168: Denver. Back in 2019, the UFC traded Johnson with Ben Askren from ONE Championship. In the new promotion, he racked up five wins, including two title fight victories.

    Although he didn’t get much recognition for it back in the day, Johnson is easily one of the best MMA fighters ever. His 13-fight win streak at flyweight is a divisional record as he walked past the likes of Henry Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez (twice), John Dodson (twice), and Tim Elliott, among other top contenders, with ease.

    Johnson has 12 title fight wins in the UFC, lagging behind only Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre. Now that his legendary MMA career has ended, fans worldwide have nothing but appreciation for one of the greatest fighters to ever do it..

    Fans Look Back At Demetrious Johnson’s Iconic UFC Career Devoid Of Any Controversy

    https://twitter.com/noface_net/status/1832256708028330200

    Unsurprisingly, people who’ve followed Johnson’s career for a long time are more than happy to see him finally get the respect he deserves. Towards the end of his career, he won the super fight against Rodtang Jitmuangnon and submitted heavyweights at BJJ tournaments, boosting his popularity.

    “Mighty Mouse” also never saw himself involved in controversies related to fighting or his personal life. For this reason alone, many call him the true GOAT and one of the most inspiring mixed martial artists of all time.

    Johnson’s emotional retirement speech depicted his immense love for the sport. Although some fans could not help but giggle at his voice breaks, most of them understood the sentiments and teared up alongside the champion.

  • Demetrious Johnson Predicts Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya At UFC 305: ‘If He Does Not Impose His Willā€¦’

    Demetrious Johnson Predicts Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya At UFC 305: ‘If He Does Not Impose His Willā€¦’

    Demetrious Johnson recently shared his prediction for the highly anticipated middleweight clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.

    Du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title for the first time in a rivalry-charged showdown against Adesanya, headlining the upcoming pay-per-view event this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

    The two fighters have been caught in a maelstrom of animosity for some time now and were originally expected to clash in September 2023. However, an injury sidelined “Stillknocks.” Consequently, Sean Strickland took the South African’s spot and dethroned Adesanya in a short-notice bout at UFC 293.

    Following his loss, “The Last Stylebender” announced he would be stepping away from the Octagon for a while, choosing to focus on his mental health and reassess his career trajectory. During his absence, Du Plessis made a powerful comeback, defeating Strickland in a hard-fought split decision at UFC 297 to claim the 185-pound title.

    Even after returning from a loss and a year-long hiatus, Adesanya is still widely regarded as the favorite against Du Plessis, likely due to his exceptional distance control and top-tier striking skills.

    “Mighty Mouse” believes these attributes give the Nigerian-born Kiwi a massive edge over a formidable power puncher like Du Plessisā€¦

    Johnson Confident Adesanya Shuts Down Du Plessis In Close-Range Fight

    During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Johnson weighed in on the upcoming title clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya.

    The reigning ONE Championship flyweight champion emphasized that the outcome of this fight will likely hinge on how well each fighter manages distance and navigates close-pocket exchanges.

    “There is no secret I’m a big Izzy fan. I hope he wins,” Johnson said. “If Izzy does not go out there and (impose) his will on DDP, I think it’s going to be a long night for Izzy Adesanya. He does a very good job creating that void between him and his opponent and forcing them to come across the distance with his feints, his teeps, his high kicks, and his inside kicksā€”whatnot. That’s what he does best.”

    “Mighty Mouse” went on to say that it will be crucial to observe how much Adesanya has evolved since his last fight and whether he can keep his emotions in check, avoiding reckless charges against “Stillknocks,” a masterful counter-striker.

    “I’m looking at this fight to see how Izzy bounces back from his last loss against Sean Strickland,” Johnson added. “How is he going to approach this fight against DDP? There’s a lot of bad blood. Is Izzy going to let emotions take over the fight? I don’t foresee DDP knocking out Izzy unless Izzy makes a mistake. But if Izzy hasn’t evolved to where he’s like how he fought Robert Whittaker the first time, when he was sitting there hunting, it’s a risky gameā€¦ If Izzy goes out there, implements and executes his game plan, and forces DDP to make a bad choice, to overextend in the void, or just goes out there and works him, I have Izzy winning that fight.”

    “The Last Stylebender” is returning from the longest layoff of his UFC career, and all eyes will be on how he has grown, both physically and mentally, to overcome a formidable challenge like Du Plessis.

    Adesanya is presently enduring the most arduous phase of his career inside the Octagon, having gone 4-3 across his last seven bouts.

  • Belal Muhammad Trashes ‘So-Called Experts’ Demetrious Johnson & Kamaru Usman After UFC 304 Win: ‘They Don’t Know What They’re Talking About!’

    Belal Muhammad Trashes ‘So-Called Experts’ Demetrious Johnson & Kamaru Usman After UFC 304 Win: ‘They Don’t Know What They’re Talking About!’

    Belal Muhammad recently hit back at Demetrious Johnson and Kamaru Usman for their dismissive assessments of him following his commanding victory over Leon Edwards at UFC 304.

    Muhammad clinched a unanimous decision victory against the reigning UFC welterweight champion in their rematch last weekend at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, United Kingdom.

    “Remember the Name” started the fight with a slick takedown, showcasing his wrestling mastery. His effective mix of seamless takedowns and sharp boxing against a formidable opponent like Edwards was unexpected for many. As the fight progressed, Muhammad intensified his aggression, slamming “Rocky” head-on into the canvas with thunderous impact.

    Although the Chicago native faced resistance in the later rounds as Edwards launched a determined rally in the fourth with some potent strikes of his own, Muhammad maintained control for most of the round. In the final frame, the Jamaican-born Englishman managed to reverse the position, delivering a relentless storm of elbows that caused a gash on Muhammadā€™s nose.

    Despite this, “Remember the Name” stayed resolute, having already impressed the judges enough to clinch the win. Now, Muhammad has a wealth of words for those who questioned his abilitiesā€¦

    Muhammad Triumphs Over Edwards with Bold Mentality Amidst Doubts

    During a recent appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Muhammad looked back on his triumphant moment against Edwards at UFC 304. Entering the bout, the newly crowned welterweight champion was met with skepticism, particularly from former UFC champions Usman and Johnson, who doubted his chances against the striking-focused “Rocky.”

    Now that Muhammad has emerged victorious over Edwards, he hasn’t held back in addressing his critics.

    “I just want to be like, ‘I told you so,’ to all the people out there who sit there and act like theyā€™re so-called experts,” Muhammad said. “Even these fightersā€”like Demetrious Johnson, who thinks heā€™s a great analyst; he sucks. Usman sucks at analyzing stuff. All these guys, they donā€™t know what theyā€™re talking about. When you get into the cage with me, itā€™s different.

    You think itā€™s slow, then you get punched in the face, and you realize itā€™s fast. You think I donā€™t hit hard, then you get hit in the mouth and back down. ‘Yeah, if Leon Edwards wasnā€™t getting hurt, he would have stepped forward the whole time and planted his feet. But he was getting punched in the mouth, he was getting hurt, and he was backing up to the cage like a coward.”

    Muhammad is expected to return to the Octagon for his first title defense against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, who made his intentions clear by calling for a championship opportunity right after UFC 304.