“On a Lot of Side Quests” – ONE Champion Demetrious Johnson Tabbed as GOAT by Former Fighters Rampage Jackson, Luke Rockhold, Even While on MMA Break

Demetrious Johnson, the reigning ONE Flyweight Champion, is without a doubt one of the best fighters in the world. He last competed at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023 against Adriano Moraes in their trilogy-ending fight. Since then, ‘Mighty Mouse’ has been out of action and enjoying his life outside the ring. Despite staying away from the action, many feel he is unmatched in terms of his ability. He recently appeared for an interview on the Jaxxon Podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Luke Rockhold, and the two couldn’t stop speaking highly of the ‘Mighty Mouse’.

After delivering some of the best performances in the MMA scene in North America, “Mighty Mouse” decided to join the ONE Championship in 2018. Since then, he has compiled an impressive record of 6-1 with only one loss to date. His only loss came at the hands of his longtime rival Moraes in their first encounter at ONE on TNT I in April 2021. Johnson has yet to take a call on his retirement from MMA competition but is already considered the best by many out there.

Jackson can also be counted as one of the fans of Johnson as in a video uploaded on Instagram, he could be heard saying, “I heard the other day, I was watching some clips on the internet and Joe Rogan said you’re the best fighter in the world. I was like, you know what? He might be right. You know what that’s a big accomplishment.” 

Agreeing with the claims, former fighter Luke Rockhold also took time to credit the MMA veteran for his performances. He added, “You can’t deny it, man, at all. We all know. You know what I love about Demetrious? He’s on a lot of side quests like myself. Yeah, we just gotta do our thing. I think I will go do boxing next. ” Talking about Johnson, one of the biggest achievements of his career is his longevity. At 37, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is still participating in grappling tournaments and winning matches for fun. 

How does he do this so consistently? The reigning flyweight MMA king shared the details while speaking on Liam “Hitman” Harrison’s podcast last year. 

‘Mighty Mouse’ shared his tricks for having a long career in MMA 

Demetrious Johnson has had one of the longest spells in MMA. The reigning ONE Flyweight Champion always had the skill set and the fighting IQ, which helped him win matches. But how did he deliver his best so consistently? Well, the answer to this is taking a break between his fighting camps. While speaking to Harrison, the American said, “Honestly, for me, I think it’s the time off. I know that might sound crazy, but prior to getting into this camp, I fought Adriano in August, I believe, and from August to November, I didn’t spar one bit.” 

Johnson also made it clear as to how his training camps have changed over the years. At 37, ‘Mighty Mouse’ feels there is not much need for sparring, but he focuses on conditioning a lot more. He further shared the details of his training plans and said, “Didn’t spar. Didn’t take any punches to the face, didn’t punch anybody in the face. I just worked on my grappling to stay healthy and did conditioning, essentially.” His understanding of the sport has already made him one of the best in the division.

But how highly do you rate him as a fighter? Do you agree with the claims made by the retired MMA fighters? Let us know in the comments below.