After announcing his retirement from MMA last September, many fight fans and co-fighters have shown their praises and appreciation for DJ’s legendary career. For the uninitiated, Demetrious Johnson is widely considered as one, if not the greatest, pound-for-pound mixed martial artist ever. With a strong legacy behind in his 14-year professional MMA career, he has become a dominant champion in two of the most prominent mixed martial arts promotions today. In this article, we’ll look back at DJ’s one-of-a-kind MMA fighting career.
Demetrious “The Mighty Mouse” Johnson
Demetrious Johnson is a fourteen-time world champion and is considered by many to be one of the MMA GOATs. After competing in the UFC for nearly a decade and dominating his division as an undefeated champion for 5 years, he delivered his talents on ONE’s global stage. He continued his domination, tallying a total of 25 wins throughout his career.
With an athletic background, growing up in the sport of wrestling and track and field, DJ quickly adapted to the fight game, further enhancing his talents and immediately becoming a prospect. He started his career competing in promotions such as KOTC, AFC, and WEC, which were some of the most prestigious MMA promotions in the United States back then.
Reign As UFC Champion
DJ is regarded as the best flyweight champion in the UFC and holds the second most title defenses in the promotion (11). He began his reign in 2012 after beating Joseph Benavidez, which he beat again a year later, keeping Benavidez away from the flyweight strap. Throughout his reign as the champion, he has beaten the tough list of challengers in Ali Bagautinov, Tim Eliott, John Dodson (twice), and Henry Cejudo, to name a few.
While some may question the level of DJ’s competition because there were no former champions on the list, it’s because the flyweight division was new to the promotion then. This means that DJ is the first flyweight champion in the UFC and no prior flyweight champion has come before him, making his achievement more commendable. In his time, he has reigned as the UFC champion for 2,142 days.
Perhaps one of DJ’s most memorable moments in his fighting career was when he performed a creative display of grappling. His legendary Suplex to Armbar against Ray Borg is simply poetry in motion.
DJ’s last match in the UFC was a rematch against Henry Cejudo. After an 11-consecutive title defense, he lost in a tightly contested match that could have gone either way against another highly skilled fighter and former Olympic wrestling gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.
Move To ONE Championship
DJ began the new dawn of his career in ONE Championship after getting traded for Ben Askren in 2018. Upon arriving at ONE, DJ was immediately welcomed with a tough challenge: competing in the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix, as one of the eight fighters.
Throughout the tournament, DJ faced Yuya Wakamatsu (submitted via guillotine), Tatsumitsu Wada (via UD), and Danny Kingad (via UD). After three consecutive wins, DJ claimed gold and became the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix World Champion after beating the Filipino phenom Danny Kingad in the finals.
After two years, DJ became the next challenger of the One Flyweight throne under Andriano Moraes, with whom he met three times, and DJ led the trilogy.
In their first fight, after a stuffed takedown attempt as DJ tried to wrestle up from the ground, he was greeted by a knee to the head, which led to a barrage of ground and pound that ended the fight. However, in other promotions, it is considered illegal to knee a downed opponent to the head.
DJ quickly adjusted to his mistake, and in their second meeting, he proved himself worthy of being called one of the best mixed martial artists of all time. DJ avenged his first loss to Adriano with the same strike (a knee to the face), but this time, with a flying knee that immediately knocked out Adriano.
To settle their score once and for all, DJ successfully defended his belt by showcasing his well-rounded skill set with the help of his incredible clinch game. In their last meeting, DJ showed his progress in the sport of MMA, proving the evolution of mixed martial arts, which is to become an excellent fighter in every aspect.
DJ’s trilogy fight with Adriano Moraes was his last fight in ONE Championship, leaving the sport at the top and as a world champion.
Super-Fight against Rodtang Jitmuangnon at ONE X
DJ has always been an exciting fighter for the fight fans. As proof, he agreed to a special rules fight against Rodtang Jitmuangon, one of the best pound-for-pound Muay Thai fighter at that time. Rodtang, who was always up for challenges, gladly accepted the special rules match.
The showdown took place under special rules, with the first and third rounds following Muay Thai rules, while the second and fourth rounds were contested under MMA rules. DJ fought through the first round and submitted Rodtang in the second round via rear-naked choke (RNC).
Life After Fighting
Fighting is really in DJ’s DNA, and he thrives and enjoys it. These days, DJ can be seen competing in Gi BJJ and enjoying the grind, eventually leading to his promotion to black belt. He made his Gi BJJ debut as a brown belt in 2023 , where he won gold in his first GI competition in the IBJJF World Championships Masters division.
Looking for the next mountain to conquer, DJ also competed in the open-weight division, beating an opponent way heavier than him. This highlighted his exceptional fight IQ and his high-level skills in the world of combat sports.
Conclusion
While DJ has officially declared his retirement, he has also cemented himself as one of the top mixed martial arts fighters in history. His legacy embodies the evolution of MMA, showing that consistent evolution is a great skill regardless of weight class. With all his accomplishments in the world of combat sports, it is without a doubt that he remains one of the GOATs for true fight fans.
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