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ONE flyweight world champion and MMA legend Demetrious Johnson has had one of the lengthiest, most consistently successful careers in the sport's history. Fighting as a professional for almost 16 years now, 'Mighty Mouse' has barely missed a step and still looks as sharp as he was over a decade ago.
In his last bout, Demetrious Johnson became the only man to win the UFC and, most recently, the ONE flyweight world title by knocking out his rival Adriano Moraes. He did so in vintage 'DJ' fashion and was also 36 years old at the time.
Johnson was in attendance at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand, for ONE Fight Night 6. During the post-event media scrum, Johnson was asked what the secret to his longevity was. 'Mighty Mouse' replied by saying:
"The key to longevity is just knowing when to train and when not to train. The last time I've done any mixed martial arts training is Thanksgiving. So the last time I touched that base has been by about two months, and I think that's how we helped my longevity and just my mental capacity is in mixed martial arts."
We're sure a lot of older fighters today who suffer chronic injuries wish they had the same mentality toward training and recovery back when they were young. It's been said that the willingness to rest and recover requires confidence. Confidence to know that taking a day or two off from intense training will never hamper the hard work you've already put in.
If there's one definitive word that can define Demetrious Johnson's career mentality for nearly two decades, it's confidence.
Watch his interview here:
Demetrious Johnson reveals that he's been having the same mindset since he was 18
As it turns out, this mentality towards rest and recovery has been a mainstay in Demetrious Johnson's training since he was 18 years old. 'DJ' has been very smart about his training since his college wrestling days.
He elaborated more on this matter by saying:
"I've been doing this since I was 18 years old, and I think I sometimes take these long breaks from combat. Prior to my training in November, I didn't spar from August to November. So that's a huge time away from mixed martial arts, which I think is warranted when you've been doing it as long as I have."
It's quite interesting to know that Johnson, one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, takes such a long time away from sparring. This goes to show that in order to transcend from good to great to greatest, you have to train hard and smart.
