Demetrious Johnson on IBJJF’s go big or go home format: “It’s bye-bye, better luck next year”

Demetrious Johnson has always been a massive fan of tournament-style competitions, and the IBJJF presented him with an environment he absolutely relished.

The reigning ONE flyweight MMA world champion recently made his Brazilian jiu-jitsu debut in the World Master IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023. Just as he did in his MMA career, Johnson tore through the competition and showed the world that he’s one of the greatest fighters to have ever lived.

‘Mighty Mouse’ enlisted as a brown belt in the featherweight class and captured gold in the Masters 2 division for competitors 35 years old and older.

During his behind-the-scenes video with FloGrappling, Johnson said he wanted to take in the IBJJF’s format where one loss meant going back home and trying again the following year.

Johnson, though, went the whole nine yards and sent six grapplers home in disappointment.

“Once you f*****g lose, it’s bye-bye, better luck next year.”

Johnson took six wins in the tournament, five via points and one via armbar submission, including a 10-0 shutout in the final against Michael Harmeling.

While he’s technically a newcomer in the BJJ scene, Johnson was already an established grappler in MMA.

The American legend has 25 wins in his professional career, eight of which came by way of submission. Arguably his most iconic of the bunch was the Mighty Wiz Bar that he executed against Ray Borg in his record 11th straight defense of the UFC flyweight world title in 2017.

Johnson ultimately moved to ONE Championship where he recorded two submission wins, one of which was in his mixed-rules bout against ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X.