One of the stories of 2019 was the much-talked-about “trade” between the UFC and Asian MMA promotion ONE Championship that saw a then-retired Ben Askren swap the Singapore-based promotion for the octagon, while all-conquering former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson headed east for a fresh new challenge.
The Asian market’s traditional martial arts ethos certainly seemed to fit with “Mighty Mouse’s” own fighting philosophies, and he was put on a pedestal as the world’s greatest martial artist ahead of his debut at “ONE: Century, Part 1” in Tokyo.
The expectations on Johnson were high, but he delivered in style, claiming three successive victories over a trio of ONE’s top flyweight stars to capture the inaugural ONE flyweight grand prix title – and quite possibly the largest championship belt ever seen in world MMA.
Johnson’s guillotine choke victory over Yuya Wakamatsu was followed swiftly by dominant decision wins over Japanese contender Tatsumitsu Wada and Filipino fan favorite Danny Kingad, as the former UFC champ tore through the field to capture his first title in Asia.
Now, as he heads into 2020, “Mighty Mouse” will have his sights set on the ONE flyweight title, currently held by Brazilian Adriano Moraes.
Check out our gallery of Johnson’s first year as a ONE Championship athlete below.
