“It’s about taking care of your family” - Demetrious Johnson explains why he talked to Savvas Michael

One of the things that make MMA legend and newly-crowned ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson so unique is that besides being a world-class fighter, he is also a solid gold nerd. 'Mighty Mouse' is one of the great individuals out there who makes being a nerd cool.

This man's life pretty much revolves around three things: defeating world-class fighters, taking care of his family, and playing video games. Johnson is so embedded in nerdom culture that he has his own Twitch streaming account and a YouTube channel dedicated to his gaming.

In an interesting video released by Johnson on his YouTube channel, we saw the ONE flyweight king reacting to a fan-made video entitled "Demetrious Johnson: The Man the UFC Erased".

Much of the content of the video had Demetrious Johnson reacting to the way his relationship with the UFC fell through and how he found a new home in ONE Championship. Another interesting spot in the video was his tough childhood, which Johnson discussed briefly.

But perhaps the most telling part of the reaction clip was when Demetrious Johnson talked about how he and his wife Destiny tried to make ends meet while he was still an up-and-coming fighter. In his rumination, 'DJ' touched on what he said to ONE flyweight Muay Thai fighter Savvas Michael backstage at ONE on Prime Video 1, after Michael was KO'd by Panpayak Jitmuangnon:

"A lot of people get wrapped up in a society of always winning and obviously, making money, but winning and try to be you know, x, y, z. For me, it’s always about making the money and paying your bills. If all the other stuff happens along the way, good stuff. But for me, what Destiny [my wife] said, it’s about taking care of your family and paying your bills. That’s what’s always been said. A lot of fighters don’t want to talk about that because they feel it kind of like, I don’t know what the word is, but I feel like it’s like a taboo. But for me, that’s like my biggest motivation right now."

Watch the full react video here:

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What did Demetrious Johnson say to Savvas Michael backstage at ONE on Prime Video 1?

After suffering one of the most devastating-looking head-kick knockouts, ONE flyweight Muay Thai fighter Savvas Michael was visibly emotional. His potential spot in the final round of the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix was taken away by tournament alternate Panpayak Jitmuangnon:

Demetrious Johnson, who won the ONE flyweight world title by knocking out Adriano Moraes that night, saw Michael backstage and offered up some motivational advice. Speaking to ONE Championship, 'DJ' explained what he said to the Cypriot striker:

"I told Michael Savvas in the back. He was back there, and he was very emotional. And all the fans were going outside. I said don't let what happened out there dictate your life. I was like, at the end of the day, just go on and make your f****** money. Like, I'm being straightforward and honest."

Demetrious Johnson further explained:

"It's about keeping the lights on, right? So if he didn't win the fight, we'll put it aside and make a lot of money together. And after the fight, whoever wins or loses buys each other a beer."

These are truly wise and priceless words of wisdom from one of the best to ever do it. He may feel like the world is crumbling in front of him, but Savvas Michael will surely take Johnson's words to heart and will bounce back soon enough.