Issue 137

January 2016

Flyweight superhero Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson reveals the five fights that defined his career.

1. Getting noticed – Jesse Brock, Alaska Fighting Championship 68 (02/10/10)

The night that started it all. “This was the fight that got me scouted by the WEC’s (matchmaker) Sean Shelby,” DJ says. “It’s the fight that basically got me into the Zuffa organization. We had a friend up there in Alaska who was a huge MMA fan. He’s a bachelor and a lawyer so he was pretty well off and he put me up in his house. I would stay for a few days, hang out, weigh in, fight and go back home.

“The weight cut was easy because I was still fighting at 135lb. I went in there and I ended up finishing him (Brock) with a head kick in the first round. The next thing you know it was on HDNet and Shelby was calling Matt Hume (Johnson’s coach). That’s how it all started happening for me.”

2. Learning curve – Brad Pickett, WEC 48 (04/24/2010)

Johnson says: “I felt like it was my first big coming-out fight and I lost it, but even though that was my first loss it was an important fight in my career. I learnt a lot from that fight. I learnt a lot from Brad too. After we fought he told me he thought it was a great fight. 

“I realized I had to be more well-rounded. I didn’t use my wresting until the third round. Pickett was using his – picking me up, slamming me and holding me down. I would get back up and start throwing punches. In the third round, if you listen in to my corner, Matt said, ‘DJ you know you can wrestle, right?’ I was like, ‘Oh, s**t. That’s right, I can wrestle.’ It opened my eyes. It’s not a street fight – it’s a competition. You can use your wrestling and you can use your jiu-jitsu.”

3. The toughest test – Dominick Cruz, FC Live 6 (10/01/11)

“That fight was a big one. It was my first championship fight in the biggest organization in the world. It was a loss but it was a great fight and I gave Cruz the toughest test of his entire career. That was cool. It was still a loss, though. He’s a big dude for that weight class and I think he’s still one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I hope he’s able to compete injury-free again. 

“There was no flyweight division (in the UFC) at that time. What you do when you lose a fight is you get back in the gym and start getting better. After that I was fine. I was all set to fight Eddie Wineland in Chicago, but then the UFC came to me and my coaches and said they were creating a flyweight division and they wanted to know if I wanted to be a part of it. I said, ‘Sure, I would love to.’ I’d actually never fought at 125lb before accepting that offer. That’s how the drop to 125lb came about.

4. Super fly – Ian McCall, UFC on FX 2 (03/03/12)

“The fight ended in a draw but the reason I’m picking it is because, even at this point in my career, I wasn’t training full time. I would still go off and do my own conditioning. I would do my own workouts. I did my own diet, I was just doing my own thing. During the cut my body wasn’t responding. I made weight but when I went to eat and drink and put weight back on, my body wasn’t taking the carbs in. It wouldn’t hold the water. When I got in there I had a s**tty performance. 

“From the day I got back home from that fight Matt was like, ‘You’re done doing your own thing. You’re training with me full-time. If you go swimming I’m going with you. If you’re lifting I’ll be there. When you’re running or sprinting I’ll be there. I’ll tell you what you need to do.’ That changed my career.”

5. Making history – Joseph Benavidez, UFC 152 (09/22/12)

“Winning the title in Toronto would be number one on the list,” DJ adds. “That was me making history and making sure I was the first UFC flyweight champion of the world. I’m still the only one there’s ever been. People will look back years and years from now and see that I was the first champion of the weight class. 

“I guess I realized I belonged that night. I used to work at a warehouse. I used to watch Joseph on TV back in the WEC days and there I was – fighting for a world title and beating him. 

“It made me realize, s**t, I was supposed to be here the whole f**king time. It was a great fight. That has been the biggest fight of my career to date. My life changed ever since that day. The money got better and people started to recognize me on the street. 

“It’s been great but that was never my goal. My goal was to have a good time in the gym and learn martial arts. But here I am the top of the UFC hill, headlining big cards. My wife has a lovely life, so I can’t complain.”

Super-fights ain’t cheap

After dominating the flyweight division for three-and-a-half years, Johnson said he has talked with Dana White about moving up in weight. He said if the UFC president meets his ‘magic number,’ he’d be ready to take on the world’s best bantamweights.