Demetrious Johnson is a former UFC flyweight champion. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. However, champions face losses too, and โMighty Mouseโ just suffered a rare submission defeat at the 2024 IBJJF World Masters Championships. Here is what happened:
Demetrious Johnson held gold as a brown belt in his previous appearance at the IBJJF World Championships. This time he stepped up to make his debut appearance as a black belt and fought four back-to-back matches. It was his final opponent, Tomoya Yanagisawa, who gave the MMA icon the taste of defeat. Yanagisawa executed an armbar attack early into the fight. However, โMighty Mouseโ pushed through and almost turned the fight around.
The former UFC star almost made it past his opponentโs guard but ultimately ended up in a submission and had to tap out. Despite the loss, Johnsonโs performance was highly commendable. On his YouTube channel, โMighty Mouseโ addressed the loss. He said he definitely did more than he expected he would. The MMA star really wanted to just get one win in the division considering it was his third tournament.
He also acknowledged his mistake stating he should have forced the takedown but pointed out how hard it was because it is more about strategy than athleticism on the mat. While he is not officially retired, Johnson mentioned that MMA is not a priority for him at the moment. Speaking on the JAXXON podcast, he explained that he has not been actively training in MMA. Instead, he has been focusing more on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and other personal interests.
Netizens react to Demetrious Johnson getting submitted at the 2024 IBJJF World Masters Championships
Demetrious Johnsonโs defeat, though disappointing, highlighted the high level of competition in the black belt category at BJJ. This is something that definitely excites the former flyweight world champion. The video of โMighty Mouseโ getting submitted caught the attention of fans on social media. People went to the comment section to share their reactions on X:
This is why No-Gi is better lol canโt get away with some bullshit like this
โ thereasonyoudoit (@canteverstress) August 31, 2024
Mighty Mouse has some serious skill and technique! Would love to see a gi match with Bruno Malfacine
โ Zane Nguyen (@zanejiujitsu) August 31, 2024
Tomoya Yanagisawa is full name of this guy that won btw
โ YaaBoiTroy (@BoNickalFan) August 31, 2024
Still an unbelievable performance for his debut.
โ Lauren Taylor (@LaurenT57651911) August 31, 2024
He has nobody in his weight class? The winner is so much bigger than he is.
โ Bad Uncle (@Johnathanknt) August 31, 2024
Itโs ok, heโs walking in the bjj gi and still learning and motivated in this journey Hahaha now no body talking about grappling he loves gi now ๐๐ค๐ป
โ Elias abreu (@eliasabreuuu) August 31, 2024
fk man that neegus made him tap 10 times
โ ้ฃไธชๅฟ (nรจi ger) (@Niggeroni69) August 31, 2024
People in the comment section had some interesting takes on โMighty Mouseโ getting submitted in his debut fight. Some wrote that the thirteen-time flyweight world champion was somehow โwashedโ. Others commented that he should fight at โNo-Giโ instead. Johnsonโs last MMA fight was a victory over Adriano Moraes in May 2023.
For now, he is enjoying a break from the sport and exploring other avenues within martial arts and beyond. The 38-year-old has a sprawling YouTube channel with over 710K subscribers. It will be interesting to see who โMighty Mouseโ steps in the octagon next before a potential retirement.
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