Matt Hume knew Demetrious Johnson had all the attributes — the athleticism, the work ethic and the technical acumen. All that was missing was Johnson’s attention.
Up until 2011, Johnson was not a full-time MMA fighter. He worked 10 to 12 hours per day at a recycling factory near his home in Parkland, Wash. That was what paid his bills.
Hume asked Johnson to quit his gig at the factory and do mixed martial arts full time four years ago. Johnson respectfully declined.
“Nope,” Johnson said Thursday at UFC 191 media day. “I told him, I was like, ‘Dude, this is reality. The likelihood and chances of me being a world champion, it’s not gonna happen.’ I told him that straight up. I was like, ‘Dude, it’s not gonna happen.'”
This is the same Johnson who has now held the UFC flyweight title for three years and defended it six times. The same guy who has said he’s making a run at Anderson Silva’s run of 10 consecutive title defenses.
Johnson, who defends the belt against John Dodson at UFC 191 on Saturday here at MGM Grand Garden Arena, is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Back then, though, he was just a blue-collar working man trying to make the best living he could for him and his family.
The only thing that changed Johnson’s mind about MMA as a full-time gig was bad luck. In a win over Miguel Torres in May 2011, Johnson injured his leg when Torres checked a kick. He went to work twice despite the injury until doctors told him the leg was broken. Johnson’s boss advised him to take some time off. He never went back to the factory.
“It was still hard to do it just because you’re taking that leap of faith and you have no idea if there’s going to be something there to catch me,” Johnson said. … “My paycheck was not dictated on somebody else [at the factory]. My paycheck is dictated on how hard I work. It’s gonna be coming to me every single week. And that’s what I loved about it.”
It all worked out for Johnson, he admits now. But he knows he’s one of the lucky ones, even though “lucky” might be the wrong word. “Mighty Mouse” knows he’s making more money than the people back at the factory now, but they can do that job into their 60s. Johnson won’t be in the UFC even a quarter of that long.
That’s why Johnson tries to be good about his money. He invests and has a 401k. He’s not known for superfluous purchases.
“Yes, I am interested in going out and buying nice sh*t, but at the end of the day I know Sam Stout just retired when he was 31,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to be that guy.”
Johnson is still worried about money in MMA, much like he was four years ago when he fought Hume tooth and nail about quitting his job.
“Even with the pay that I was gonna get fighting Dominick Cruz for the title, I still wasn’t satisfied with that,” Johnson said. “I was like, to be a professional athlete, to fight for a world title in the biggest organization in the world, in UFC, I still was not satisfied. I was like, ‘I still need to work.’ Because if I lose this fight, I just lost. I just lost in the pinnacle of the sport. What do I do?”
At the time, Johnson thought he was taking a major risk. Hume, a decorated former fighter and grappler who now runs AMC Pankration in Washington, never saw it that way. The coach was confident in Johnson as a special talent.
“It’s all the things,” Hume said. “There are other fighters and other champions who have a great work ethic like he does. There are other fighters and champions that have incredible athleticism like he does. And there are other champions that are very technical like he is in all aspects and are well-rounded. But it’s rare to have someone that is at the highest level in all of those things and that’s what separates D.J.”
His mind does, too. And that’s what makes him still somewhat uncomfortable talking about leaving a steady gig with benefits to chase this crazy MMA dream. Even if he happens to be one of the baddest men on the planet.
“I was thinking that that was my career,” Johnson said. “In the beginning of your mixed martial arts career, you’re not making good money. Obviously, it wasn’t good money in my eyes. I was a man who had my own house, I had insurance, I had bills. So, you only fight twice a year, you might make $30,000 — if that, if you’re successful. You gotta pay taxes, you gotta pay your coaches, all that stuff. So for me, I felt like I needed a supplement income.”