Demetrious Johnson, who is widely regarded as one of the best fighters to have ever competed in the UFC, left after striking a deal with ONE Championship, making history as the first trade between the two MMA promotions.
Johnson's coach, Matt Hume, played a significant role in introducing him to the executives at ONE Championship, a promotion that he had always admired due to his love for Asian MMA.
“I’ve always wanted to travel a lot and compete and I actually grew up watching Asian mixed martial arts with PRIDE mostly and to be able to have the opportunity to travel over to Asia to compete a totally different weight class, it was something I couldn’t pass up." [via. MMAFighting]
Johnson revealed that he was excited about the opportunity to travel and compete in Asia in a different weight class. The move involved a collaborative effort between First Round Management, ONE Championship, Matt Hume, and the UFC.
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Johnson's dominance in the 125-pound division of the UFC included wins over notable opponents such as Henry Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Ian McCall.
The 36-year-old became the UFC's first-ever champion in September 2012. He set a record for most consecutive successful title defenses with 11 before losing a close split decision to Cejudo in a rematch in August. Johnson believes that fighters should have the option to be traded and compete in different organizations.
Demetrious Johnson claims to show his "top game" in trilogy against Adriano Moraes
Former UFC Champion Demetrious Johnson is set to face Adriano Moraes in a highly anticipated trilogy showdown for the world championship title.
'Mighty Mouse,' is gearing up to show off his grappling skills and hopefully secure a submission win against the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist.
Speaking with fightTIPS, Johnson shared his eagerness to finally show off his "top game" against Moraes.
"We fight on the feet, we fight on my back, the only place I’ve not fought in both of our fights is me on top of him. If we get there, I hope I get a submission. If not, I would love to get another knockout or if we go to the decision, you know."
After each fighter claimed victory via knockout in their previous matches, the third fight is set to take place on May 5th at ONE Fight Night 10, which will mark ONE Championship's inaugural show on US soil. The event will be held at the 1ST Bank arena in Colorado, USA.
Check out Demetrious Johnson's interview below: