Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Demetrious Johnson gives props to ONE Championship for its policies regarding fighter weight.
Since Demetrious Johnson signed with ONE Championship, he also moved up in weight. While he still competes at what they call their “flyweight” division, he weighs in at 135 pounds, as part of the company’s own weight class policy.
Now that he gets to fight at a more natural weight, “Mighty Mouse” feels a sense of rejuvenation.
“At the end of the day, it’s depending on what you want to do, because when I fight at 135, this is going to be my third fight in the year,” Johnson told MMA Junkie. “At 33 years old, I think that’s pretty impressive. When I was cutting to 125, I was throwing so much trauma on my body just trying to make that weight and blow back up to 141 in one day.
“So with me staying closer to my natural weight, which is 135, and then fighting there, I don’t have to have as much trauma on my body, my liver, my kidneys, all that stuff.”
Although the promotion hasn’t always been transparent about its results and collection, part of ONE’s policy is for fighters to have their weight checked multiple times during fight week. There is also said to be a mandated hydration test before they are allowed to compete.
For Johnson, ONE Championship set the standard when it comes to fighter weight.
“I think at the end of the day in America, I don’t know what the commissions are waiting on,” he said. “I think ONE FC are doing it right; everybody makes weight. When it comes to fighting or an event coming up, everybody shouldn’t be focused on who’s going to miss weight and who’s going to make weight. I’ll be surprised if Vegas didn’t have lines for that.
“When (ONE) signs guys, they’re like, ‘This is what you’re fighting at.’ Like, ‘You’re fighting at this weight class.’”
The former UFC pound-for-pound king defeated Tatsumitsu WADA at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in Manila, Philippines early this month. With the victory, he advanced to the finals of ONE’s flyweight grand prix, where he faces Danny Kingad at ONE: Century on October 13th in Tokyo Japan.