It’s a big weekend for the One Championship, whose A New Era event on Sunday in Tokyo is headlined by not one, not two, but four title fights. And, oh yeah, sitting right below them on the marquee is some newcomer to the Asian promotion, a fellow who until a few months ago just happened to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The debut of Demetrious Johnson, the longtime UFC flyweight champion, makes this a new era indeed for everyone involved.
When “Mighty Mouse” takes on young, unsuspecting Yuya Wakamatsu in the opening round of the eight-man Flyweight Grand Prix, it will also be his first time fighting in Japan (and the promotion’s first time there, too). Yet Johnson (27-3-1) sees this as also a continuation of a tradition. He has watched enough Japanese mixed martial arts over the years that he’s borne witness to the fertile history being blessed by many fine imports from North America and other points of origin.
“If you look at all of the great athletes in mixed martial arts,” Johnson said this week from Tokyo, “they’ve all competed in multiple continents. ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Anderson Silva. ‘Shogun’ Rua. Cro Cop. Fedor Emelianenko. The list just goes on, and this was perfect timing for me to come do that.”
Johnson is following those footsteps in reverse, though. All of the fighters he mentioned made their names in Japan — in Pride and other flashy promotions — before arriving on American shores as established stars. “Mighty Mouse” recognizes the distinction and prefers having been homegrown.
“I established myself as an athlete in North America,” he said, “so now, coming over here, I already have Asian fans.”
It’s true that Johnson, like Tom Waits, is big in Japan, but that did not prompt One to anoint him or fellow UFC import Eddie Alvarez with star billing. “The Underground King” is scheduled to fight second on the seven-bout main card, which streams starting at 5:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. “Mighty Mouse” takes to the cage right after him and is not the least bit insulted by his placement. In fact, he’s looking forward to it.
“It’s different,” said Johnson, whose past 14 fights — 11 of them title defenses — were main or co-main events, going all the way back to 2012. “I go out there and compete, then take a shower and head back out there to watch my friend fight. I’m excited for that, man. I get to see my buddy Bibiano Fernandes hopefully claim his belt back.”
Fernandes, who will be trying to regain the One Championship bantamweight title he lost in November after having owned it for over five years, is a training partner of Johnson’s at AMC Kickboxing & Pankration in Kirkland, Washington. Their coach is Matt Hume, who also happens to be vice president of operations and competition for One. The potential conflict of interest prevents Hume from cornering either of his fighters. Johnson sees that as one more adjustment he must make.
“Imagine if Jon Jones were to compete without Greg Jackson in his corner, or TJ Dillashaw were to compete without Duane Ludwig in his corner,” he said. “There’s a synergy between coach and athlete, and I won’t have that luxury this time. I’m just going to have to make this another step in my evolution as a mixed martial artist.”
Another adjustment for Johnson is one he’s loving as much as he is his exploration of Japanese culture. In One Championship, the flyweight limit is not the 125 pounds he was used to. It’s 135. The catch is that fighters must hit that number while hydrated — the promotion enforces that by having them weigh in both the day before the fight and two days before. For “Mighty Mouse” that has meant essentially no weight cut, as he arrived in Tokyo last Sunday within two pounds of being on weight.
Johnson doesn’t miss spending fight week draining every drop of water from his body.
“I don’t want to put myself through that,” he said. “I’m at the point in my career where I want to focus on having fun, putting on great fights and cementing my legacy here in Japan and all over Asia.”
That doesn’t mean he’s forgotten all about where he’s come from. Johnson still pays close attention to the goings-on in the UFC, especially in the weight class he ruled for six dominant years.
“I keep my eye on it,” he said. “It seems like the division has moved on, which I figured it would if I were to leave. And I’m a fan of those guys over there. Joseph Benavidez, Henry Cejudo, those guys are great athletes. And I’m happy for Henry that he’s getting to fight for the 135-pound belt. I’m excited to see it.”
But Johnson is at peace with himself having moved on.
“One hundred percent,” he said. “I had done as much as I could in North America. Coming over to Asia, performing in front of a whole different market and experiencing a whole different lifestyle, with all fresh matchups, it’s like I’m taking the next step in a totally new atmosphere. The locals are excited, and I’m ready to show what I do.”