‘Nobody Has Been Able To Do What I’ve Been Able To’

The greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.) debate will never end in mixed martial arts (MMA).

On a short list for most when it comes to the very best fighters to ever compete is none other than the current ONE Championship 135-pound Flyweight champion and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 125-pound Flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” holds several records within his hold promotion and division and didn’t suffer defeat until his final appearance when rematching Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in August 2018.

So where exactly does Johnson fall on the list? According to the man himself, he feels it’s down to one or two.

“At No. 2, you have yours truly,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the Flyweight division or in any division. 11 consecutive title defenses, created a brand-new move that none of you guys ever seen, the ‘Mighty Whizzbar,’ shout out to Matt Hume helping me learn that move.

“I have wins by knockout, submission, gone to a decision, gone to a split draw, whatever you want to call it,” he concluded.

Achieving dual-division champion status at the tail-end of his career in ONE, Johnson isn’t the only legend to have done so. The most recent to do so came in the largest divisions in the sport at Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight when Jon Jones returned at UFC 285 in March 2023. Submitting Ciryl Gane by guillotine in round one (watch highlights), Jones further cemented his place in the history books and for Johnson, can fairly go above him on his list.

“For my No. 1, I have Jon ‘Bones’ Jones,” Johnson said. “That is the only man I’ll put ahead of me because this man, I feel like any single time he has been inside the cage he could just destroy his opponent however he wanted. He also has wins by knockout, putting people to sleep, decisions, everything on the list.”

Directly behind Johnson, he has another multi-weight champion in Canada’s Georges St-Pierre followed by “The Spider,” Anderson Silva, at spot No. 4.