Demetrious Johnson hasn’t fought three times in a calendar year since he first signed for the UFC back in 2011. But that’s exactly what he’s on schedule to do in his first 12 months with ONE Championship.
The former UFC flyweight champion already has two wins under his belt in 2019. And he will be looking to make it three in a row when he fights at the upcoming ONE: “Century” event in Tokyo on October 13th.
Johnson (29-3-1) faces Danny Kingad in the final of the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix. It will cap off a crazy nine months for the combatant widely regarded as being the best flyweight in MMA history.
“The Grand Prix is a lot of work. I’ve been in training camp since January. We fought in March, took maybe a week off, and got right back in training camp to fight in August,” he said.
There was no time to celebrate beating Tatsumitsu Wada in the semifinals. It was straight back to training for the 33 year old martial artist.
“We took two weeks off, and now I’m about to compete in October in Japan – so it’s fun, but it’s a lot of work. I’m looking forward to getting it done with. Whether I win or lose, I’m taking some time off to enjoy what I’ve just accomplished.”
It will be a well earned holiday for Johnson. But awaiting the tournament winner is reigning flyweight champion Adriano Moraes and that’s a matchup the former UFC champion already has one eye on.
“I believe this bout is very important – obviously this is the Flyweight Grand Prix final. At the end of this, there’s a sweet belt that I want to add to my collection and a shot at the champion Adriano Moraes.”
Moraes is the only man to have ever beaten Kingad and Johnson has no doubts about the legitimacy of his upcoming opponent.
“I’m very excited to face Danny Kingad. He’s only got one loss in his whole entire career, and that’s against Moraes, so he’s definitely legit. Now I’m ready to go out there and see how I fare against one of the best in Asia.”
The Lightweight Grand Prix has been cursed by injury, with no fewer than four of the quarterfinalists withdrawing, but both Johnson and Kingad have stayed the course. “Mighty Mouse” thinks winning these tournaments requires a combination of skill, grit and luck.
“The athlete who wins the Grand Prix isn’t necessarily the best fighter, it can be who’s most durable and can stay injury-free. I’m grateful and blessed that I’m able to make it to the next round healthy and ready to go,” he said.
Johnson will finish his training camp at Evolve MMA in Singapore. But he prepares for fights at AMC in his hometown of Seattle and will be competing on the same card as team mate Bibiano Fernandes.
“I know a lot about Team Lakay. My teammate Bibiano Fernandes has been fighting that team since the day he jumped into ONE Championship. They have a great team up there, but I know they have some holes in their game,” he said.
Johnson is known for being one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA. He can transition seamlessly from striking to grappling and has no obvious weaknesses.
Having watched Kingad there are a few things which Johnson was impressed by.
“The Team Lakay guys are very tough and very athletic, especially Danny, and he is a wushu champion. He has great scrambles, and he is able to get off his back when he shouldn’t be able to.”
However he also spotted some flaws in his upcoming opponent’s game.
“But of course, everybody has weaknesses. We have to see if I can exploit those weaknesses when we lock horns – that’s where we’re going to find out.”
Having spent so long competing against the best flyweights and bantamweights in the world during his UFC stint, Johnson is entitled to feel he has faced stronger opposition than his opponent.
“I’ve been in this game a lot longer than [Kingad] has, I fought a lot of great people that are just grapplers, and also my competition has been the best of the best.
A few people were expecting Johnson to easily overcome the flyweights on the ONE Championship roster. That definitely hasn’t been the case so far, both the former UFC champion’s Japanese opponents have caused him serious problems.
Johnson himself might have been expecting to be more dominant and he is hoping to put on a spectacular performance at ONE: “Century.”
“I’m a different athlete than Danny, so we’re going to see what happens when we fight. I’m hoping to go out there and show off my best performance.”