"The only person who doesn't lose is the person who stops competing" - Demetrious Johnson on amazing run at 2024 IBJJF Pans

ONE flyweight MMA world champion and MMA all-time great Demetrious Johnson made an impressive showing at the recently concluded 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships. 'Mighty Mouse' won gold in the featherweight (-70kg) brown belt category and silver in the openweight brown belt brackets.

DJ defeated Carlos Alberto Morales, Sophanarith Am, and Marcio Luis Ferreira Filho to win the gold medal in his division. In the openweight category, the largely outsized Johnson ran through Mike Medina and Eric Semba to eventually capture the silver medal.

ONE Championship posted a highlight video of Johnson's performance at the IBJJF Pans:

In the video, Demetrious Johnson said:

"I won my division, I came up second place in the openweight division. Lost to the heavyweight champion. He won his division. Just small, tactical errors, man. That's the first time I ever got submitted in a competition. It's bound to happen. The only person who doesn't lose is the person who stops competing. As long as I keep on competing, that's going to happen. But I had a good time doing it. My kids got to watch me compete. I get to go home to my wife. Can't complain."

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Demetrious Johnson submits 250-pound opponent in openweight match

One of the big headlines of the tournament was when the 150-pound Demetrious Johnson submitted a man nearly 100 pounds heavier in the opening match of the openweight brackets.

Here's a video of DJ submitting Mike Media, who weighed in at 248 pounds, with a bow and arrow choke:

That's a perfect example of clean and proper technique beating sheer size and strength. The bow and arrow is difficult to pull off even against a man your size, let alone someone who is nearly twice your weight. This is testament to how DJ is the most technically-sound fighter in all of combat sports - from MMA to competitive jiu-jitsu.