Demetrious Johnson News

Adam Martin - October 28, 2019

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the infamous Ben Askren for Demetrious Johnson trade between the UFC and ONE Championship. Replying to a fan on social media, UFC president Dana White called it an “amazing trade” for the UFC. It was one year ago when the UFC and ONE Championship made history with MMA’s first-ever trade. Headed to the UFC was former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren, while headed to ONE was former UFC flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson. It was a surprising move for both organizations, but one that ultimately made sense for both.

Cole Shelton - October 27, 2019

On Oct. 27, 2018, the MMA world was shaken up as it was announced the UFC and ONE Championship made a trade. The Las Vegas-based promotion traded longtime flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, to the Singapore-based promotion for the former welterweight champion, Ben Askren. Right away, fans wondered who came out on top in this trade. The UFC was sending one of the greatest fighters of all time in Johnson for an undefeated Askren who could sell fights with his trash-talk. It seemed like a win-win for both fighters and promotions at the time. But, one year later, is it still a win-win?

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2019

At Saturday’s ONE: Century card, former UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson stepped into the cage with Team Lakay star Danny Kingad in the final of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. Johnson utilized pressure from the get-go, landing multiple takedowns and gluing himself to his opponent on the mat. As the round wore down, he threatened briefly with a kimura. When the tap failed to materialize, he climbed into full mount before a scramble ended the round. While ONE Championship fights are scored in their entirety rather than round-by-round, it was a clear victory for Johnson in the first.

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2019

ONE Championship will soon promote its 100th event. Titled ONE: Century, this landmark event is actually divided into two parts. The first goes down on the morning of Sunday, October 13 in Tokyo (the night of Saturday, October 12 in North America). The second goes down on the night of Sunday, October 13 in Tokyo (the morning of Sunday, October 13 in North America). ONE Championship has stacked these two cards with some of its biggest names. The end result is an event that has fight fans the world over excited — and that includes ONE Championship fighters themselves.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2019

Danny Kingad, a staple of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, is gearing up for the biggest fight of his life. At ONE: Century Part 1 on October 13 in Tokyo — the evening of Saturday, October 12 in North America — he’ll step into the cage with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. A few years ago, when Johnson was ruling over the UFC flyweight division, this is a matchup that seemed impossible to Kingad.

Tom Taylor - September 26, 2019

ONE Championship is plotting an expansion into the United States, and Demetrious Johnson is more than willing to be a part of those plans. Johnson, who will have fought twice in Tokyo and once in Manila by year’s end, discussed a potential return to US soil in a recent interview with BJPENN.com. He says he’s particularly interested in fighting in Hawaii, home to ONE Championship stars Christian and Angela Lee, and the perceived frontrunner for ONE’s US debut.

Tom Taylor - September 23, 2019

It’s been a hectic year for Demetrious Johnson. After signing with ONE Championship in late 2018, the former UFC Flyweight Champion has spent the duration of 2019 thus far bushwhacking his way through the perilous ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 11, 2019

The number of eye-popping matchups scheduled for the two ONE: CENTURY cards in Tokyo on October 13 is staggering. There are multiple world championship matches, and Grand Prix finals spread across a morning and evening events.  The lineup of bouts, in three different sports, and the dual cards as part of ONE’s celebration of 100 events, offers a unique presentation of action for fans. It’s a concept that is fairly unprecedented in combat sports. 

Tom Taylor - August 2, 2019

On Friday, ONE Championship returned to Manila, Philippines with an absolutely stacked card in ONE: Dawn of Heroes. The card was topped by a featherweight title fight between ferocious champion Martin Nguyen and surging Japanese challenger Koyomi “Moushigo” Matsushima. The co-headliner, meanwhile, saw ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty attempt to defend his strap against Thai tank Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Tom Taylor - July 31, 2019

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is one of the greatest fighters of all time, and one of the toughest puzzles to solve in MMA. Yet Tatsumitsu Wada believes he’s figured out the MMA legend’s weaknesses. Wada will meet Johnson in the semifinals of the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix at ONE: Dawn of Heroes this Friday in Manila, Philippines. He believes his research into the former UFC champ will pay off with a TKO win.

Jordy McElroy - July 16, 2019

The shuttering quake from comatose welterweight star Ben Askren crashing to the canvas in record-breaking time at UFC 239 could be felt from Nevada to Singapore, where former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson was shipped off to in a historic trade less than a year ago. Not even the Richter scale is capable of measuring the size of those tremors, which opened up cracks in the reasoning Johnson was ever traded in the first place. That isn’t to suggest Ben Askren in the UFC hasn’t been entertaining. It has been a rollercoaster ride and cotton candy rolled into one. He talks the talk and walks the walk against the toughest guys in the UFC; guys that boast the kind of knockout power to alter careers with a single strike.

Tom Taylor - July 1, 2019

For a time, there was much discussion about a potential flyweight title super fight between TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson, then the UFC bantamweight and flyweight champions respectively. At the time of these discussions, Johnson expressed some doubt that TJ Dillashaw would be able to make the 125-pound limit for their potential flyweight title fight. Dillashaw later made 125 pounds for a January title fight with Henry Cejudo, but subsequently tested positive for EPO, and named his tough weight cut as one of the reasons he turned to this substance.

Adam Martin - June 7, 2019

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is generally regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in MMA history, but the criticism directed towards him during his run in the Octagon was that he wasn’t a draw for fans. Now a member of ONE Championship, Johnson was the most dominant flyweight and arguably the most dominant fighter in MMA period between 2012 and 2018. However, for whatever reason, Johnson just never appealed to fans as a box-office draw, with his pay-per-view numbers being lower than some other champions during his time in the UFC.

Tom Taylor - May 29, 2019

Singapore-based martial arts organization ONE Championship has recently signed a host of high profile free agents, most notably Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Sage Northcutt. Among Western fans, many of whom grew familiar with these fighters during their time in the UFC, the widespread expectation was that all three would all be extremely successful in ONE. This has not been the case.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

Demetrious Johnson has already cemented himself one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, but he’s not ready to rest on his laurels. After a record-setting reign as the UFC flyweight champion, he is now zeroing in on a new title in ONE Championship. Johnson’s road to ONE Championship gold leads through the perilous ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The former UFC champion has already advanced to the tournament’s second round, having submitted Yuya Wakamatsu in Tokyo in March, and he’s now looking ahead to a yet unscheduled semifinal showdown with former DEEP flyweight champion Tatsumitsu Wada.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2019

ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion Aung La N Sang last fought at ONE: A New Era on March 31 Tokyo, Japan, when he defended his middleweight strap with a knockout of Ken Hasegawa. On that same night, we witnessed the ONE Championship debuts of two former UFC titleholders in Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson. The former UFC and Bellator champ Alvarez debuted first, and contrary to the widespread expectation among Western fans, he was stopped in the first round by his ferocious opponent Timofey Nastyukhin.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

Many fans expected former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to blow through former Pancrase champion Yuya Wakamatsu in his ONE Championship debut. Yet while Johnson ultimately earned himself a second-round submission win, the first frame of his fight with the young Japanese knockout artist was actually quite competitive. Demetrious Johnson opened up on his entertaining scrap with Yuya Wakamatsu at the ONE: A New Era press conference in Tokyo.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan (early Sunday morning in North America), former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson made his anticipated debut in the ONE Championship cage at ONE: A New Era. The flyweight legend’s welcoming committee was Japanese knockout artist Yuya Wakamatsu. Both fighters entered the ONE Championship cage with losses in the rear-view mirror. Demetrious Johnson last competed in August, when he surrendered the UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo in a bout that would go down as his last in the Octagon. Yuya Wakamatsu, meanwhile, recently came up short in his ONE Championship debut, giving up a decision to the streaking Danny Kingad.