One Championship News & FeaturesRivalries: Demetrious Johnson
The superlatives ran out long ago for Demetrious Johnson.
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As “Mighty Mouse” awaits his next assignment from One Championship matchmakers, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped his career:
Ian McCall
They say speed kills, and few men in MMA wield it like Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” picked his shots on the feet and with takedowns, as he defeated Ian McCall by unanimous decision in the UFC on FX 3 main event on June 8, 2012 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. All three cageside judges scored it for the 5-foot-3 Johnson: 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28. The Matt Hume disciple came out of the gates firing, as he struck for a double-leg takedown inside the first minute and later put “Uncle Creepy” on his rear end with an exquisite straight right hand to the face. The blow knocked McCall off balance and left him with a small cut across the bridge of the nose, but he did not accept defeat quietly. The Californian landed a trio of takedowns and a spinning back elbow in the second round. However, his inability to keep Johnson grounded for any length of time proved to be his undoing. In the third round, Johnson resumed his attack, scored with another takedown and put his combinations together with speed, power and accuracy. McCall—who had fought to a contentious draw with Johnson three months prior—grew increasingly frustrated as the final frame unfolded and a feeling of inevitability took hold.
Joseph Benavidez
“Mighty Mouse” threw and landed more kicks and punches, mixed in five takedowns and captured a split decision over Benavidez in the UFC 152 co-feature on Sept. 22, 2012, becoming the first flyweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history before a crowd of 16,800 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Judges Jeff Blatnick and Doug Crosby scored it 48-47 and 49-46 for Johnson, while Richard Bertrand saw it 48-47 for Benavidez. The two flyweights engaged one another for the full 25 minutes in a dazzling display of skill, speed and technique. Benavidez made his most significant strides in the second and fourth rounds, nearly finishing it in Round 4, where he staggered Johnson with a right hand and jumped into a mounted guillotine choke. “Mighty Mouse” struggled to free himself from the hold and was ultimately successful, threatening Benavidez with a leg lock before returning to his feet. Johnson—who opened a cut near his opponent’s left eye with a stout right hand in the third round—answered the championship call in the fifth, where he delivered a pair of takedowns, countered beautifully and finished with a flourish. Their inevitable rematch was not nearly as competitive. Some 15 months later, Johnson put away Benavidez with punches 2:08 into the first round of their UFC on Fox 9 main event and cemented his claim as the world’s greatest flyweight.
John Dodson
Certain words seemed to follow Johnson wherever he went and whenever he fought: flawless, impeccable, incomparable, brilliant, masterpiece. At his peak, they all fit. Johnson retained the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title with a five-round unanimous decision over Jackson-Wink MMA standout John Dodson in the UFC 191 headliner on Sept. 5, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 for Johnson, who moved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with “The Magician.” The Madisonville, Kentucky, native had taken a unanimous decision from Dodson in their first encounter two-plus years earlier at UFC on Fox 6. The statistical dominance in the rematch was stunning. Johnson outlanded Dodson in the significant strikes department in all five rounds. Plus, he threw 78 more and connected on 55 more total strikes across the 25-minute pairing. Over the final three rounds, Johnson found the mark with better than 56% of his significant strikes and executed four takedowns. He grew stronger as Dodson faded.
Henry Cejudo
Cejudo overthrew the longtime 125-pound king by the narrowest of margins, as he dethroned Johnson by split decision in the UFC 227 co-main event and became the second undisputed flyweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history on Aug. 4, 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist struck for takedowns in the second, fourth and fifth rounds and paired them with top control, helping to offset the damage he absorbed to the legs and body from repeated Johnson kicks. The loss was the first for “Mighty Mouse” at 125 pounds, ended his historic reign atop the division at 2,142 days and marked what might have been his final appearance inside the Octagon. The win brought Cejudo not only the flyweight crown but a measure of revenge. Some 27 months prior, Johnson had brought their first meeting to a close with a devastating volley of first-round knee strikes to the body at UFC 197.
Adriano Moraes
Moraes retained the undisputed One Championship flyweight title with a career-defining performance, as he cut down Johnson with a knee strike to the head in the second round of their One on TNT 1 headliner on April 7, 2021 at Singapore Indoor Arena in Kallang, Singapore. Finished for the first time in his remarkable 35-fight career, Johnson bowed out 2:24 into Round 2. Moraes spent the first round proving he belonged, as he made “Mighty Mouse” work with evasive lateral movement. The Brazilian shrugged off a few takedowns in the second, kept his feet moving and clipped the incoming Johnson with a right uppercut that knocked him off balance. Moraes pounced, landed a few punches and delivered the fight-ending knee to the AMC Pankration cornerstone’s exposed face.
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