Demetrious Johnson commits to join 2023 IBJJF Masters

Demetrious Johnson, the reigning ONE Flyweight World Champion and MMA legend, is set to embark on a new challenge.

“Mighty Mouse” will be switching fields temporarily to showcase his talents in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the 2023 IBJJF Masters World Championships. The competition will take place between August 31 and September 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Johnson is slated to compete in the men’s Master 2 featherweight division at brown belt. That bracket will be comprised of over 30 competitors aged between 36 and 40.

Moreover, he will be representing AMC Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the tourney.

Johnson is coming off a successful title defense at ONE Fight Night 10 in May. That night, he outworked Brazilian arch-nemesis Adriano Moraes to earn a unanimous decision in their trilogy bout.

While this may seem like a significant departure from his natural habitat, it’s not the first time “Mighty Mouse” has taken such a bold gamble.

At ONE X in March 2022, he participated in a special rules super-fight with Thai powerhouse Rodtang Jitmuangnon. The bout alternated between Muay Thai and MMA rounds, and Johnson emerged triumphant via second-round submission.

Demetrious Johnson accepts bodybuilder’s callout

It seems like Demetrious Johnson still has his eye on another interesting matchup.

Further fanning the flames of curiosity is Johnson’s recent acceptance of a challenge from Bradley Martyn, a bodybuilder who’s now generating attention on social media for calling out several combat sports athletes.

On the first episode of the “GOATcast” podcast with co-host and former two-division UFC World Champion Henry Cejudo, Johnson said he is prepared to get down and dirty with Martyn.

“It’s funny, you know. He’s 265 pounds, he’s a bodybuilder, so obviously he has got the weight advantage. But at the end of the day, that’s the beautiful thing about grappling. It’s not about weight, it’s about technique, and we’re going to try to grapple,” Johnson said.