Demetrious Johnson says Khabib Nurmagomedov would have also suffered KO loss if he kept fighting

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson believes that it’s almost impossible to stay unbeaten in the fight game, even for an all-time great like Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ walked away while on top of his game in 2020, closing his 12-year professional MMA career with a perfect 29-0 record.

For his part, Johnson is still competing in year 15 and counting, and will be back on August 26 as he challenges Adriano Moraes for the ONE flyweight world title at ONE on Prime Video 1.

The 12-time UFC flyweight world champion is considered by many to be one of the best fighters of his generation, and looked to add ONE Championship gold to his collection in 2021. However, Moraes had other plans, shocking Johnson and the rest of the world with a devastating knockout.

While a lot of fans were disappointed at how the match ended, ‘Mighty Mouse’ pointed out that nobody can stay on top of the mountain for a long time and expect to be there forever. During an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Johnson said that it may have only been a matter of time before Nurmagomedov absorbed his first defeat:

“The more time you spend in this sport, the more your chances are rising higher for you to get knocked out or anything like that. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] got out unscathed, 29-0. If Khabib went on and continued fighting, he would’ve lost.”

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Demetrious Johnson aims to put on a show at ONE on Prime Video 1

Despite experiencing the first knockout of his career, Demetrious Johnson will have another chance to further add to his legend when he returns to action at ONE on Prime Video 1.

The American icon is set to challenge Adriano Moraes once again for the ONE flyweight world title in the main event of the August 26th card. This is the first card that will be broadcast live on U.S. primetime via Amazon Prime Video.

While he knows the dangers that Moraes brings to the table, it doesn’t seem to faze Johnson as he aims to push the pace against the division’s king. During a press conference promoting the event, Demetrious Johnson said:

“As an athlete, it’s always just a fight for me, you know. My responsibility is to go out there and put on a show, and I’ve always done it for each of my fights. I always go out there and push the pace. Take the fight wherever I need to, whether it’s on the ground, on the feet, or in the clinch, wherever it may be. So I should go out there and perform like I always do and take it to him.”