Demetrious Johnson fought the best fighters the east and the west had to offer.
The greatest flyweight of all time is the only fighter in history to hold titles in both the UFC and ONE Championship. Johnson was traded to the Singapore-based ONE Championship for Ben Askren in 2018, with the American finishing out the final chapter of his career on the other side of the world.
Johnson went 15-2-1 in the UFC Octagon and only lost once in ONE Championship across six fights.
Retired as of last year, Johnson gives his take on both worlds.
Demetrious Johnson says America has more athletes, Asia has more ‘true martial artists’
On The Simple Man Podcast, Johnson was asked what difference he felt between fighting in America and Asia.
“I thought in America they’re more athletes,” Johnson explained.
“In Asia, I felt like they’re more like true martial artists,” Johnson continued.
“When I look at Yuya Wakamatsu, I’m sure he’s done it as a kid, some type of form of martial arts. Tatsumitsu Wada, Danny Kingad, Adriano Moraes… he did jiu-jitsu when he was a kid.
“Where, when you’re in the UFC, I fought Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson, those guys were athletes in high school, wrestling.
“So even for me, I was a wrestler. I started wrestling in high school, so I wasn’t starting, I didn’t start till I was like in eighth grade. So, you think about all that development…”
Other fighters have come close to championships in UFC and ONE
Johnson won the UFC flyweight title in 2012 and held onto it until he lost to Henry Cejudo by split decision at UFC 227 in 2018.
Johnson won the ONE Flyweight Championship against Adriano Moraes four years later.
Former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez tried to accomplish the feat himself, but ‘The Underground King’ struggled to gain momentum in the promotion and never got a title opportunity.
Former ONE and Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren made it to the top 5 of the UFC and was on the cusp of a title fight before he was ultimately knocked out by Jorge Masvidal with a flying knee in five seconds at UFC 235 in 2019.