Demetrious Johnson News

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 14, 2019

Being a 12-time UFC champ, Demetrious Johnson is considered one of the all time greats. When ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced late last year that Johnson would be joining the promotion, one of the American’s deciding factors in joining was hearing Sityodtong’s take on martial arts as a whole.

Tom Taylor - February 21, 2019

On March 31, Asian martial arts powerhouse ONE Championship will make its debut in the MMA hotbed of Tokyo, Japan with ONE: A New Era. This card, which will emanate from the hallowed Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in the city’s Sumida ward, is absolutely stacked. The card will be topped by a whopping four ONE Championship title fights, including one champion-versus-champion showdown.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 18, 2019

Demetrious Johnson did not hesitate to sign with ONE Championship after learning about their core values and how they treat their athletes from CEO Chatri Sityodtong. His excitement was evident when he flew to Singapore to witness a live ONE event late last year. “I’m very excited to be a ONE athlete,” Johnson said.

Tom Taylor - January 29, 2019

Press Release — The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), is excited to announce its first ever media tour to the United States on 25-28 February. The tour comes shortly after Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (DJ), Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and “Super” Sage Northcutt announced their decision late last year to join the world’s largest martial arts organization, ONE Championship. Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound mixed martial arts World Champions of all time. He is a 12-time flyweight World Champion. Alvarez is a multiple-time lightweight World Champion across various major mixed martial arts organizations and is easily a fan-favorite. Northcutt is one of the most promising young martial arts talents in the world.

Tom Taylor - January 10, 2019

Speaking on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, UFC commentator Joe Rogan began heaping praise on former UFC flyweight champ and new ONE Championship star Demetrious Johnson. In Rogan’s eyes, the man they call “Mighty Mouse” is simply the best ever.

Thomas Taylor - January 4, 2019

Yuya Wakamatsu couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he was offered the opportunity to welcome Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion and one of the best fighters ever, to the ONE Championship cage. Wakamatsu has competed just once for ONE Championship so far and came up short in his debut effort, losing a decision to Danny Kingad. As such, he didn’t expect to receive this kind of offer so soon. Nonetheless, this was an opportunity he’d been dreaming of for years, and one he simply couldn’t turn down.

Drake Riggs - December 19, 2018

The long-awaited promotional debuts of ONE Championship’s biggest acquisitions to date in former UFC champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie Alvarez have been set. On March 31, ONE will host their inaugural event in Japan as they head to Tokyo for a huge show.

Tom Taylor - December 13, 2018

In November, ONE Championship announced that it will it be promoting a flyweight and lightweight Grand Prix in the New Year. On Friday morning, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to Twitter to announce the kickoff dates for these two anticipated tournaments.

Tom Taylor - November 25, 2018

Demetrious Johnson no longer calls the UFC’s Octagon home. After a legendary, 18-fight stint with the Las Vegas promotion, the long-time UFC flyweight champion was traded to Singapore-based martial arts promotion ONE Championship in exchange for top welterweight talent Ben Askren. Several weeks after this unprecedented swap was made official, Demetrious Johnson boarded a plane to Singapore to meet the ONE Championship team and take in the stacked ONE: Heart of the Lion card.

Jason Kindschy - November 23, 2018

Demetrious Johnson joins us to have an in-depth discussion regarding his UFC departure and subsequent signing with ONE Championship. The pound-for-pound king will give us the inside scoop as to how this deal got done, his thoughts on the challenges he faces against an entirely new roster of opponents, and why Demetrious believes his talents will be far better appreciated by the Asian fans. You’ll also hear the latest on his involvement with ONE Championship’s pursuance of the E-Sports market, his reaction to the UFC’s dissolving the flyweight division, and a whole lot more from “Mighty Mouse.”

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 8, 2018

One of Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s dreams as a martial artist is set to become a reality when ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced at the press conference of ONE: HEART OF THE LION at the Marina Bay Sands last Wednesday, 7 November the eight-man Flyweight World Grand Prix, which will be composed of eight of the best flyweights of the stacked ONE flyweight division. Though Sityodtong has yet to reveal the detailed set up of the tournaments, one thing is for sure, the winner will determine the undisputed champion one way or another.

Tom Taylor - November 8, 2018

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is now a ONE Championship fighter, and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that he’s a perfect fit for the promotion. Mere weeks into his time as a ONE Championship fighter, he’s already being pushed by the full muscle of the promotion’s substantial marketing department. Given that he occasionally felt a little under-promoted by the UFC, he’s very excited about this. “It feels good,” Demetrious Johnson told BJPENN.COM in Singapore this week. “I think with the UFC, their model is different than ONE Championship’s is. They’re looking for the next big star and trying to push out that next pay-per-view. And that’s what the North American audience wants. They want to see confrontation.”

Tom Taylor - November 7, 2018

At a Wednesday afternoon press conference in Singapore, ONE Championship announced plans for a Flyweight Grand Prix. This intriguing flyweight tournament is expected to feature stars such as reigning ONE flyweight champ Geje Eustaquio, former champions Adriano Moraes and Kairat Akhmetov, rising contender Danny Kingad, and of course, new ONE Championship athlete Demetrious Johnson. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp3qsDKhUCi/

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 1, 2018

Both Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson, former UFC champions, announced that they have joined ONE Championship within two weeks of each other. The news obviously ran up many headlines. The Johnson for Ben Askren trade in particular was the biggest acquisition in history for the Asia-based promotion. Alvarez, 34, has won world championships in the biggest mixed martial arts promotions in the world, and has made it clear that he’s intent on capturing a third major title.

Tom Taylor - October 31, 2018

After defending the UFC flyweight title a record-breaking 11-straight times, Demetrious Johnson absolutely deserved an immediate rematch with Henry Cejudo, who ended his title reign with a split decision victory at UFC 227 in August. Instead of pursuing this rematch, however, Demetrious Johnson and his team negotiated a move to Singapore’s ONE Championship.

Tom Taylor - October 30, 2018

After a lengthy and history-making stint in the UFC, former UFC flyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson is headed to ONE Championship. Johnson is expected to debut with the Singapore-based martial arts powerhouse in early 2019. Despite his massive accomplishments in the UFC, however, he does not expect an immediate title shot against ONE flyweight champion Geje Eustaquio. Instead, he’s expecting to fight another top ONE flyweight such as Kairat Akhmetov or Danny Kingad.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2018

As you’ve probably heard, it’s now official. Former UFC flyweight champion and bona fide MMA legend Demetrious Johnson is now a ONE Championship athlete. That’s thanks to a history-making trade between ONE and the UFC that saw the UFC cough up Johnson in exchange for ONE’s former welterweight champion Ben Askren. Speaking on a media conference call on Sunday, an elated Demetrious Johnson explained how this out-of-left-field trade came to fruition.

Tom Taylor - October 29, 2018

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is now a ONE Championship athlete. That means that he can look forward to MMA bouts with top ONE Championship flyweights such as Geje Eustaquio, Adriano Moraes, Kairat Akhmetov and Danny Kingad, and perhaps even scraps with top ONE bantamweights down the road. Of course, that is not where Demetrious Johnson’s options as a ONE Championship athlete end.