“At least I tried” - Demetrious Johnson wanted to compete in IBJJF tournament this year

ONE flyweight world champion and MMA great Demetrious Johnson is a man of extreme dedication and excellence in his craft. Fighters, fans and pundits often cite 'Mighty Mouse' as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time due to his near-perfect grasp of technique and command of his skills. The records he set in the sport may never be broken and his legacy is now fully intact.

In a podcast episode with renowned MMA personality Joe Rogan, Demetrious Johnson spoke about where he's at in his career and where he wants to go next after he hangs up the gloves.

Apparently, the former 11-time defending UFC champion is looking into other competitive endeavors after retiring from MMA.

'DJ' said:

"After I’m done competing full time, with the businesses going on and see them go, I’m still gonna try and compete in something. Motocross was going to be the thing that was going to fuel my desire to compete, but after I found jiu-jitsu at the place where I train now. I’m like, ok I wanna try and compete in IBJJF."

Johnson continued:

"I was like ‘Hey guys, can I compete at IBJJF this year?’ They were like 'no, no you can't.' It would’ve been in a gi and I’m only a brown belt, everyone was like ‘You wanna get destroyed?’ I was like ‘I don’t care, at least I tried’ and see what it’s like."

Watch the podcast episode here.

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Demetrious Johnson has the skill and work ethic to make a possible world title run in sport jiu-jitsu

Judging by his recent dabbling in mixed rules bouts at ONE X, it seems like Demetrious Johnson just wants to have fun and try new things while still satisfiying his competitive zest.

Apparently, he intends to do so even after hanging up the gloves for good. With that said, competitive BJJ or submission grappling might be a good route for him as they relatively pose a lesser risk of concussions compared to MMA.

Johnson has the world-class skills, combat IQ, and legendary work ethic to be competitive in BJJ at the highest level as well. 'DJ' has famously tapped out BJJ blackbelts in MMA in the past, particularly former IBJJF world jiu-jitsu champion, Wilson Reis.

Demetrious Johnson can still perform under the bright lights and make a run for another world title. Who knows, since ONE Championship also showcases submission grappling matches, perhaps 'DJ' can dabble in there as well. If there's anyone who could pull off winning world titles in BJJ and MMA, it's definitely 'Mighty Mouse'.