Demetrious Johnson says he could take Henry Cejudo but ‘I’ve got things to conquer’ in One Championship
- Former UFC flyweight champion says Cejudo’s ‘Triple C’ gimmick ‘is a great bit, he’s doing what he needs to do’
- ‘Do I think I could take him? Of course,’ says ‘Mighty Mouse’
Demetrious Johnson is a big fan of what Henry Cejudo is doing in the UFC. But he still thinks he could take him.
The former UFC flyweight champion is 1-1 with “Triple C”, who ended Johnson’s record run of 11 title defences last year before “Mighty Mouse” jumped ship for One Championship.
Cejudo has gone on to become a two-weight champion, beating Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight belt earlier this year, and has been making fans laugh and cringe in equal measure with his bizarre on-screen persona.
“I think it’s great, everybody’s talking about him,” Johnson told Clinton Yates and Steve Covino on ESPN’s Now or Never. “Everywhere I go they’re like, ‘Man what you think about Triple C?’ They’re wrong, I think you guys are hating on the man.
“I think he’s doing good. Other than that it’s a great bit. He’s doing what he needs to do to get people talking about him, get his stock up, doing whatever he’s got to do to sell pay-per-views because that’s the business he’s in.”
Johnson, who fought three times in Asian MMA organisation One this year en route to claiming the flyweight grand prix championship belt in Tokyo last month, says he doesn’t think about a rematch with Cejudo at all.
DJ quizzed by US customs over his giant One Championship belt
“We’re in two different organisations. He’s holding on to two championships, flyweight and bantamweight, he’s also got that Olympic gold medal and whatnot. I’m in One, it’s a totally different organisation and I got my own things to conquer.”
While Johnson may not be interested in crossing paths with Cejudo again, that doesn’t mean he thinks he can’t beat him.
“Do I think I could take him? Of course,” he said. “Any person out there who’s a professional athlete believes their own skill-set could beat anybody. When he’s out there talking, doing his own thing, he’s out there promoting his brand.”
