Demetrious Johnson saw his long-standing title reign come to an end last night (Sat., Aug. 4, 2018) at UFC 227 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., when he lost his UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo via split decision.
Johnson had won 12 straight title defenses leading into the fight and was widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Despite relinquishing his title and seeing his legendary win streak finally end, “Mighty Mouse” seemed to be in good spirits after the fight (sort of).
“I’m fine,” said Johnson when asked how he’s coping with his first loss in seven years. “Losing happens. Every great champion loses. I’ve lost before when I fought Dom [Dominick Cruz]. I lose in the gym. So I’m fine.
“I’m more upset about the injures but other than that I’m okay.”
When asked what sort of injuries he was dealing with “Mighty Mouse” pinpointed some pretty serious ailments, which each occurred during his fight with Cejudo.
“I think I probably tore my right LCL and then my right foot might be broken,” explained the former champ. “I think the right LCL probably happened in the second or third round. I remember we were scrambling and I maybe shot and then he kind of pushed me over and I rolled over on my right knee and I was like ‘there goes the right LCL.’
“And the foot, that’s just from kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking.”
If Johnson did in fact suffer these two injures in his title fight with Cejudo it may explain why “Mighty Mouse” looked less aggressive in the later rounds. That is where Cejudo did most of his work and the point in the fight that Johnson lost his grip.
While Johnson undoubtedly deserves an immediate rematch with Cejudo, especially since he defeated him via TKO just two years ago, we really don’t know how everything will play out. Johnson could see a trilogy fight with Cejudo or move back up to bantamweight, while UFC could opt to push Cejudo up a weight class and have him fight bantamweight king T.J. Dillashaw instead of “Mighty Mouse.”
For Johnson, getting back to full strength is the most important thing to worry about at this time. Everything else will play itself out.
For complete UFC 227 results and coverage click here.