“It keeps the fight going” - Demetrious Johnson says he’s always been a fan of ONE allowing knees to a grounded opponent

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson's humility truly sets him apart.

The now-retired combat sports icon only got finished once in his legendary career, courtesy of a brutal grounded knee from Adriano Moraes at ONE on TNT I back in 2021.

Of course, under ONE Championship's Global Mixed Martial Arts Ruleset, combatants are allowed to land knee strikes to an opponent's head even on the ground.

Considering that 'Mighty Mouse' fell prey to this maneuver, it would be quite understandable if he was not fond of it.

On the contrary, however, the American martial artist admitted he prefers this rule since it adds another dimension to the sport.

'DJ' recently shared his unbiased take with his Mighty Cast guest, ONE Championship Vice President Rich Franklin:

"I like knees to a grounded opponent because it keeps the fight going. Nobody can really stall in that position and it’s also another easy way to get away from it. If I shoot a bad shot, you sprawl, you knee me to the head, I can put my hands out and block my head or I can sit back to my butt and pull guard, now you’re back in my guard. It’s keeping the fight going."

Moreover, Demetrious Johnson explained that ONE allowing grounded knees pushes the action more, given the added element of danger. He continued:

"Compared to now, if I shoot, and you aren’t a good grappler, you’re almost like 'What do I do with you? Do I punch you?' I’m almost stopping the progression of the fight. So I’ve always loved that about ONE Championship."

Watch the full MightyCast episode:

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Demetrious Johnson says he's enjoying BJJ to the fullest

Demetrious Johnson won't have to worry about getting kneed to the head anytime soon after hanging up the gloves for good.

The former flyweight MMA world champion, though, is still able to scratch his competitive itch in his new journey in the competitive IBJJF gi scene.

The BJJ black belt recently told MMA Fighting that he feels zero pressure in his new martial arts journey:

"It just doesn’t seem fun to me right now in the position where I put myself in where, ‘I’m getting ready for this jiu-jitsu match, I gotta train super hard.’ And 'He’s gonna do this and he’s gonna do that.’ I really show up, like hey, let’s run it'. Let’s see what we can do. Let’s see how we can enjoy the journey of jiu-jitsu."