ONE Championship: Demetrious Johnson rules out strawweight move, ponders kick-boxing bout
- ‘Mighty Mouse’ admits he can’t make 125 pounds in ONE, after taller, rangier Adriano Moraes retains flyweight title with TKO
- ‘And if I could, I wouldn’t wanna go through it,’ adds Johnson, who says it would be ‘dope’ to try his hand at kick-boxing in the Asian promotion
Demetrious Johnson is uncertain on his next move inside the ONE Championship Circle, but one thing’s for certain – it won’t be a move to strawweight.
“Mighty Mouse” suffered the first knockout loss of his career in a stunning second-round upset by flyweight champ Adriano Moraes in Thursday morning’s ONE on TNT 1 main event.
The Brazilian had a big height and reach advantage at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, as have most of Johnson’s opponents since he jumped ship from the UFC, whose flyweight division limit is 125 pounds compared to ONE’s 135 pounds.
“I can’t make strawweight,” 34-year-old American Johnson said, bluntly, at the post-event virtual media conference. “And if I could, I wouldn’t wanna go through it. I have no interest in drinking two gallons of water for two weeks to make 125 [pounds].
Johnson put together a legendary record run of 11 straight title defences at 125 pounds in the UFC, a streak which earned him divisional “GOAT” (greatest of all time) status and a place in the pound-for-pound conversation.
“Yes, I’m at a disadvantage and with size difference, but I’m not worried about it,” he added. “I had a good talk with Eddie [Alvarez] out here, he said, ‘Dude, everything you did was perfect, you came up and got hit with the knee and it is what it is’.