Mighty Mouse Retires
And the elusive qualities of a star
Last Friday at ONE: 168 in Denver, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson officially retired from MMA competition. He wasn't fighting at the event but delivered the message in the cage in front of his family and American fans.
Without a doubt, DJ deserves to be included on the Mount Rushmore of MMA GOATs alongside Georges St Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones. Johnson's UFC run as undisputed flyweight champion was one of the most dominant runs of any UFC champion in history.
Johnson won the inaugural belt at UFC 152 in 2012 and held it until UFC 227 in 2018. During his 6-year reign as champion, he defended his title 11 times with 7 finishes. Despite his remarkable skill, speed, fluidity, and flawless technique, he was never a popular champion. I was at the peak of my fandom when he was carving out his incredible legacy and I admittedly never got particularly excited for any of his title defenses.
There are several potential factors to explain why he never caught on well with the fans and I think that ties into the ingredients needed to build a star: fighting style and personality.
Let's take current UFC bantamweight (one division above flyweight) champion, "Sugar" Sean O'Malley as a case in point. O'Malley is headlining UFC 306 tomorrow night, at the promotion's first foray into the Sphere in Las Vegas. That shows how much the UFC believes in him and for good reason. He has devastating power, colourful hair, and a flashy fashion sense. He is also outspoken and frequently talks trash about his opponents. Since coming on to the scene on Dana White's Contender Series in 2017, he has gone 11-1-1 with 7 finishes, all by knockout, many of which have gone viral. Those factors combine to make him one of the sport's biggest stars.
Compare that to Johnson, who scored the same number of finishes, but the majority of which were by submission. Submissions are just not as eye-catching as knocking someone unconscious. He also typically secured those submissions in the later rounds after having tired out and broken down his opponents. Johnson was the type of chef who preferred to cook his food slowly and methodically as opposed to lighting them ablaze instantaneously. That meant that fans had to be willing to endure that slow burn instead of getting the instant gratification of a concussive punch, kick, or knee. And more often not, they weren't.
And then you consider Johnson's personality. He is a humble, family man, who rarely says a negative word about his opponents. He is the epitome of a respectful martial artist and although he is the type of man any parents would want their son to emulate, he didn't stir the pot in a way that attracts fans.
I also think Johnson's lack of popularity was due to how much better he was than his competition. He was so superiorly skilled that a victory was all but guaranteed no matter how well-prepared his challengers were. As Roy Jones once famously quipped in his classic rap song, Y'all Must've Forgot: “And they got the nerve to say I ain't fight nobody, I just make 'em look like nobody.”
It's not like his contenders were bad, they were just outmatched. If Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, and Henry Cejudo were still fighting today, they would be top contenders because the depth of flyweight talent today is similar to Johnson's heyday. And it's not his fault if his era didn't have a murderer's row of contenders because he could only beat the competition put in front of him.
In a similar vein, Ronda Rousey was equally as dominant over her competition but countless fans tuned in to her fights regardless. They knew she was going to win but they needed to see how quick and devastating the finish would be. Of Rousey's 12 pro wins, 11 came via first-round finish. Fans knew they couldn't blink when she was fighting. Compare that to Johnson, who usually scored submissions later in fights, which were foregone conclusions devoid of any drama.
Regardless of his lack of popularity, Johnson had an incredible highlight reel that will hopefully inspire generations of fighters to come. Just take a look at the clip below from his suplex-to-armbar finish of Ray Borg, one of the nicest finishes you'll ever see, and which allowed him to break Anderson Silva's record for most consecutive title defenses.
Also check out the last minute of the video below, ending with his last-second armbar of Kyoji Horiguchi. I was in attendance for that card, UFC 186, with my buddy Ricky. We were there thanks to Ariel Helwani, who gifted us two tickets after we met him in person at an event in Montreal during fight week. That started a friendship with Ariel that continues to this day. Johnson put on another virtuoso performance against Horiguchi, an underrated challenger who had a helluva career.
When Johnson lost his belt to Cejudo by split decision in their rematch in 2018, few thought that it would be the last time he would compete in the UFC. But two months later he was traded to ONE FC for Ben Askren. Johnson was never truly appreciated during his UFC run and by joining ONE, he got a chance to showcase his incredible skill to a larger market in Asia.
After winning the flyweight Grand Prix tournament and earning a shot at the title, Johnson would lose in his title challenge of Adriano Moraes by brutal knee in April of 2021. Showing his resilience, Johnson redeemed himself in their rematch more than 16 months later, returning the favour with a devastating flying knee knockout of his own as evidenced in the clip below.
Johnson would put an end to his rivalry with Moraes with a unanimous decision win in May 2023, which was his last fight for ONE. In all, he went 5-1 in four years competing under ONE, which earned him enshrinement as its first Hall of Fame inductee.
At the end of the day, Johnson was exceptional and it will take a while until we see a similarly diminutive fighter replicate his otherworldly skillset and reign of invincibility. Although he was never the UFC's most popular champion, he was unequivocally one of its most dominant.
With all the tributes of his greatness pouring in, it's safe to say that his legacy will be much more appreciated in retirement compared to when it was unfolding. To his credit, he was never involved in any controversy during his entire career, be it related to PEDs or outside-the-cage behavior.
He was a classy individual and we were lucky to have him.
Cheers on retirement, Mighty Mouse.