Demetrious Johnson explains move to ONE Championship

ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson rose to fame in the UFC, but even he eventually outgrew the eight walls of the Octagon.

Few world champions have ever been as consistent and dominant as 'Mighty Mouse' was in North America. But after 11 world title defenses, Johnson was ready for something new.

A split decision loss to Henry Cejudo, which could have sparked an immediate rematch, meant that his future would mean making laps around the same fighters. That’s one reason he decided to look for a fresh landscape to explore, and he got that in ONE Championship.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Demetrious Johnson had this to say about the move:

"I made my legacy in America in the UFC. I dominated in the division. I came up short in my last fight against Henry Cejudo, then I went to explore other options. I wanted more opportunities, like the fight against Rodtang. That’s why I came to ONE Championship."

Demetrious Johnson originally introduced himself to MMA fans at bantamweight, fighting Dominick Cruz for the world championship in 2011. He was one of the first two fighters who opened up the flyweight division and became the first champion at 125 pounds over a decade ago.

Since signing with ONE Championship, he’s enjoyed most of the same success that he did in his last promotion, going 4-1 and capturing ONE’s flyweight world championship as well.

His lone loss, a TKO defeat to Adriano Moraes, was avenged a year later when he turned the tables on Moraes. As the two are the clear top two flyweights in ONE Championship, they’ll fight again to see who’s number one at ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5.

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Demetrious Johnson sharpens tools with Henry Cejudo

Although the split decision loss to Henry Cejudo may have been a contentious one, there’s no bad blood between the two today. In fact, they’re training together.

Ahead of big world title fights this May for each of them, Demetrious Johnson and 'Triple C' are down at Fight Ready MMA in Arizona sharpening the sword.

Johnson posted a photo to his Instagram with Henry Cejudo, saying:

“we look so happy together right!!!??? Mighty & @henry_cejudo back at it again booiissss!!!”

Needless to say, a rematch between the two probably isn’t happening anytime soon.

Demetrious Johnson does have another massive fight ahead of him in Adriano Moraes. If he wins, he’ll be the best flyweight ONE Championship has ever seen. If not, that title goes to Moraes.

ONE Fight 10 goes down on May 5 from Broomfield, Colorado, USA. The event streams on Amazon Prime to subscribers in the USA and Canada.