UFC flyweight legend Demetrious Johnson reacts to Israel Adesanya's GOAT compliment

Former UFC star Demetrious Johnson has now responded to reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) compliment.

'Mighty Mouse' expressed his appreciation for Israel Adesanya after the latter suggested that Johnson should be counted amongst the GOATs in MMA.

Israel Adesanya believes Demetrious Johnson is one of the best fighters of all time

Israel Adesanya, during an appearance on Submission Radio, had weighed in on the ongoing GOAT debate. Adesanya pointed out that Demetrious Johnson is being overlooked despite him being a near-perfect fighter.

Adesanya noted that Johnson isn’t being given the credit he deserves, insinuating that the flyweight great is a fighter who could be considered the GOAT.

The topic of who is the MMA GOAT has been a long-running matter of debate and discussion in the MMA world.

However, after Khabib Nurmagomedov extended his undefeated MMA record to 29-0 by beating Justin Gaethje and successfully unifying the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 254, the debate has reached a crescendo.

On one hand, certain sections of MMA fans and experts believe that Jon Jones’ accomplishments in the sport have earned him the title of GOAT.

On the other hand, many in the MMA world point out Jones’ history of PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) test failures, and claim that undefeated UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov is the true GOAT of MMA.

On that note, Adesanya’s comments have served to add a new angle to the GOAT debate, as the popular UFC middleweight champion has strongly advocated for Johnson to be considered as the GOAT.

WOOOOOAH! 😱@MightyMouseUFC with a submission worthy of making history at #UFC216 👏 pic.twitter.com/UUp45VA18y

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 8, 2017

WHAT A STATEMENT 🙌Israel Adesanya ends the rivalry with Paulo Costa inside two rounds with a dominant display!It was THAT easy 😳 #UFC253 pic.twitter.com/jxdchos1zf

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) September 27, 2020

Demetrious Johnson says that Israel Adesanya could go on to achieve GOAT status

On an edition of MMA Fighting’s What he Heck, former UFC flyweight champion and reigning One Championship flyweight grand prix champion Demetrious Johnson addressed Israel Adesanya’s words of appreciation.

With regard to Adesanya’s opinion, Johnson noted that it’s “awesome”, adding that he has the utmost respect for Adesanya.

Additionally, Johnson highlighted that he was impressed by Adesanya defending his UFC middleweight belt against Paulo Costa, winning via second-round TKO at UFC 253. Johnson revealed that after Adesanya’s aforementioned win, he told the latter that if he keeps putting on such amazing performances, he would be well on his way to GOAT status. Mighty Mouse stated:

“The way he dismantled him, it’s very rare that a fighter will do something in a fight that will make me think about certain things and what he did to Paulo, I was like, ‘Duh, simple. Footwork. That’s the easy way to nullify Paulo Costa’s striking.’ What he did to Uriah Hall, Yoel Romero, he couldn’t do it to Adesanya because he used footwork.”

Furthermore, Johnson reiterated that he was truly impressed by Adesanya’s win over Costa, and it was after this fight that Johnson feels Adesanya is on his way to becoming one of the greatest of all time.

“If he keeps doing that, and then goes up to light heavyweight, then if he goes up to heavyweight to fight Jon Jones, those are all the steps. I feel that he’s gonna be in the sport for a long time, a champion for a long time as long as he keeps on evolving. I feel like he has the mindset to do that because he watches anime. Anime always keeps your mind fresh and keeps you evolving.”

What are your views on Demetrious Johnson’s statements regarding Israel Adesanya? Sound off in the comments.