Demetrious Johnson says the journey to a fight is more difficult than winning or defending a world title

Demetrious Johnson doesn’t seem to have anything lined up for him at the end of this calendar year in ONE Championship.

As much as this might be a short reprieve for ‘Mighty Mouse,’ he knows that if ONE is keen to see him fight again soon, he’ll take their offer in a heartbeat - however arduous the journey may be.

Now that he’s the new ONE flyweight world champion, The Schmo was curious to know, based on his experience as champion in two organizations, if it’s harder to defend a world title or become a world champion, ‘Mighty Mouse’ responded:

“Honestly, I think it’s just hard just to get in the gym and step into the cage. You know, the long training camps - the eight weeks, 12 weeks whatever it may be you do. That’s the hardest thing. You can win fights, lose fights, defend the belt - I’ve done it 11 times consecutively. So I think the hardest thing is getting in the cage every single time.”

Watch the full interview below:

It’s amazing to see how far Demetrious Johnson has come since leaving one of the largest MMA promotion in the United States.

At 36, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is still giving guys half his age a run for their money. Showing no signs of slowing down, the Washington native looks like he could easily take on another decade.

As the newly-crowned flyweight world champion, there are plenty of rivals in the flyweight pool to choose from, even across disciplines.

Submission grappling star Mikey Musumeci, for instance, is keen on a super-fight showdown with the champion. But as Johnson has said in past interviews, he loves to compete and is therefore open to whatever ONE Championship decides.

---

Demetrious Johnson doesn’t see himself retiring in the next few years

It will be a sad day for the MMA community when Demetrious Johnson decides to hang up his gloves.

Fortunately, that day has been pushed back a couple more years ever since ‘Mighty Mouse’ avenged his first-ever knockout against former flyweight kingpin Adriano Moraes at ONE on Prime Video 1.

The future Hall of Famer feels he’s got enough time before calling it quits under the ONE Championship banner. Johnson previously told MMA Junkie:

“I think three to four more years. I’ll probably keep on competing, depending on how my body feels. And after that, I want to spend as much time with my family and my kids. I love being a father. I love being a husband. I love being at home. That’s one of the things I truly cherish.”