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ONE flyweight MMA world champion and MMA all-time great Demetrious Johnson recently sat down with fellow MMA legend Michael 'The Count' Bisping on his Believe You Me podcast.
One of the interesting parts of the conversation was about 'DJ's' recent performance at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Pan Championships.
The former UFC world champion and current ONE flyweight MMA king found a new calling as a competitive BJJ athlete and has been frequenting the prestigious tournaments.
At the IBJJF Pans, Demetrious Johnson won gold in his division and silver in the absolutes. On his new-found passion for competitive grappling, 'Mighty Mouse' said:
“When I’m going to a jiu-jitsu tournament, I have no idea who’s in my bracket. I don’t know what game they’re going to play. Is it De La Riva, is it Lasso, is it Worm, is it Squid Guard? Are they a judo player? When I competed at World last year, I had one guy that put me in a lasso. One guy was a judo guy. And one guy was great off his back. So I was getting all these puzzles in one day, and I loved that excitement. One day that might get extinguished, but until then, I’m gonna keep it running baby.”
Watch the full podcast here:
Demetrious Johnson submits opponent nearly a hundred pounds heavier at IBJJF Pans
In the absolutes openweight division of the 2024 IBJJF Pans, Johnson faced Super-heavyweight Mike Medina of Carlson Gracie Team, who at the time weighed in at 248 pounds. 'DJ' came in as one of the smallest in the openweight bracket at a mere 154 pounds (70kg).
Despite the massive weight and size difference, Johnson dominated the match, taking Medina down, taking his back, and submitting him with a bow-and-arrow choke.
After dispatching Medina, Demetrious Johnson defeated Eric Semba of Soul Fighters BJJ, a man who weighed in at 215 pounds.
He then got past Seth Patrick Houin in the semifinals but came up short in the finals, losing to Brandon Paul Gagnon.
