“We have the best strikers on the planet”- Demetrious Johnson stacks praise for ONE’s loaded Muay Thai and kickboxing ranks

Demetrious Johnson declared that ONE Championship has "the best strikers on the planet."

On September 6, an emotional moment took place at ONE 168: Denver, as Johnson made an appearance to announce his retirement. Luckily, the legendary MMA fighter plans to continue helping ONE Championship grow behind the scenes, while building his own YouTube channel.

During an interview with MMA Fighting, Johnson discussed the world-class talent in ONE by saying this:

“I feel comfortable saying that we have the best strikers on the planet because we have kickboxing and Muay Thai.”

Johnson specifically referenced two-sport world champion Superlek. 'Mighty Mouse' had this to say about the Thai superstar's striking skills:

“Like, if you put Superlek against an MMA guy in a Muay Thai fight, you believe he's going to win 1,000%.”

Demetrious Johnson fought in ONE Championship seven times, leading to a 6-1 MMA record. The former flyweight world champion also competed in a historic mixed-rules bout where he defeated Muay Thai superstar Rodtang by submission.

Watch Johnson's entire interview with MMA Fighting below:

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Demetrious Johnson's flyweight throne will be replaced in 2025

Demetrious Johnson's retirement led to a massive opportunity for ONE flyweight MMA contenders. The inevitable vacant world title fight is expected to feature Adriano Moraes, who submitted Danny Kingad to bounce back from his consecutive losses against Johnson.

Meanwhile, Moraes' opponent is expected to be Yuya Wakamatsu or Danny Kingad, who secured respective wins at ONE Fight Night 26.

Number two-ranked Wakamatsu defeated promotional newcomer Gilbert Nakatani by unanimous decision. Wakamatsu is riding a three-fight winning streak after taking out Xie Wei and Danny Kingad.

As for McLaren, he faced an unexpected challenge against interim strawweight MMA world champion Jarred Brooks. The Aussie flyweight defeated Brooks by unanimous decision, strengthening his argument for a title shot.

The primary difference between Wakamatsu and McLaren is that the former has already fought Moraes. Wakamatsu suffered a third-round submission loss against Moraes in November 2022 and has since evolved as a fighter.

The replay of ONE Fight Night 26 can be seen for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.