Demetrious Johnson

By FCF Staff

Following the official announcement that Demetrious Johnson has moved from the UFC to ONE Championship, the former flyweight champ is praising the values of his new organization.

Recently it was confirmed that the UFC and ONE have worked out a deal, whereby, Johnson has transferred to the Asian based promotion, in exchange for now former welterweight champ, Ben Askren. ONE held a media call recently to promote the addition of Johnson, and during the call “Mighty Mouse” said this (quote via ONE press release):

“First of all, I am glad to be a part of ONE Championship. I am very honored and grateful to be a ONE athlete. It’s a huge move on my part, for my career. I’m looking to come over to Asia and test my skills against the best in the flyweight division. I know those guys are animals. I know Geje [Eustaquio] and [Adriano] Moraes are beasts, and I’m looking forward to getting into the cage with them. At the end of the day, I feel that I am very young in my career and I wanted to try something different. I’ve always wanted to travel the world and compete. I think ONE is a fantastic organization that represents incredible values — things that I also love to represent about this sport.”

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, meanwhile, had this to say about Johnson:

“It is my absolute pleasure to introduce Demetrious Johnson today, the newest ONE Championship athlete. Demetrious is without a doubt pound-for-pound the greatest mixed martial artist in history. Joining ONE, Demetrious is just getting started, the best is yet to come. He has achieved a lot for sure, but there is more here in Asia for him. It is an honor for me to be working with Demetrious and give him a platform where he can showcase his skills. It is an honor for me to tell his story and make sure people know who he is and what he stands for. Demetrious will inspire and change the world through the ONE platform.”

Johnson (27-3-1) defended the UFC’s flyweight title a record 11 times, before losing it via split decision to Henry Cejudo in August.