Demetrious Johnson: The Lord Of The 'Flys' Ready For Wilson Reis
Demetrious Johnson: The Lord Of The 'Flys' Ready For Wilson Reis
UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson is ready to battle Wilson Reis and tie Anderson Silva's record in Kansas City.
UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson has outclassed his competition to the point that he has all but cleaned out the division over which he reigns.
The lord of the "flys" is currently riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak spanning over the past five years, including nine title defenses. He has gone the distance. He's stopped opponents with last-second submissions. He's notched early knockouts and everything in between.
Despite his dominance, Johnson is not concerned with wiping out the division per se--he just wants to continue smashing the hopes and dreams of every flyweight in his path. If you dream of beating "Mighty Mouse," you better wake up and apologize.
"I don't really look at it as cleaning out the division," Johnson told FloCombat. "The rankings change all the time. Guys like Ali Bagautinov and Zach Makovsky, in my eyes, are still great fighters who aren't even on the UFC roster. I want to make sure that every fighter in my weight division that steps into the Octagon knows that I will take away their hopes and dreams of being champion as long as I'm in the game."
Johnson is not just content with conquering each opponent put in front of him. Instead, he is looking to secure his legacy as one of the all-time greats. One legendary landmark within immediate reach is that of tying former middleweight champion Anderson Silva's UFC record of 10 straight title defenses when he faces challenger Wilson Reis in the main event of UFC on FOX 24 Saturday night.
"I'm not looking past him [Reis]," Johnson said. "I am training extremely hard for him. I have been taking care of my body a lot more this camp. I am looking to go out there, tie the record and then we can discuss where I would like to break the record."
For quite some time, Johnson didn't want to entertain the idea of being the mythical pound-for-pound greatest, nor did he put much energy into thoughts of breaking any particular records. Now, it's nearly impossible for him to avoid the conversation. Over the course of his historical run, his opinion has changed on the topic. He is now willing to reflect on the huge accomplishment at his doorstep, and it's one Johnson is certainly proud of.
Johnson has been dominating top competition longer than some fighters ever keep the gloves on, and that's a remarkable feat in an age where titleholders come and go with the wind.
Nevertheless, in the not-so-distant future Johnson could very easily walk away from the flyweight division. And when that day comes, Johnson plans to do so as the untouched, unblemished and only UFC flyweight champion of the world. He could drop the belt and go pursue his other passions and enjoy the rest of his life. He knows that may be easier said than done.
"That is always the goal," Johnson said. "In reality that is very, very far down the pipeline. If I fight until I am 38 things will change. I may get slower. I won't be as fast. There will always be young guys coming up. The longer you stay in the sport the chances of you losing become greater. I need to go out and win this one and win the next one. If I win two or three more after that maybe I call it a day. I just walk away and I would be good to go."
The lord of the "flys" is currently riding a 12-fight unbeaten streak spanning over the past five years, including nine title defenses. He has gone the distance. He's stopped opponents with last-second submissions. He's notched early knockouts and everything in between.
Despite his dominance, Johnson is not concerned with wiping out the division per se--he just wants to continue smashing the hopes and dreams of every flyweight in his path. If you dream of beating "Mighty Mouse," you better wake up and apologize.
"I don't really look at it as cleaning out the division," Johnson told FloCombat. "The rankings change all the time. Guys like Ali Bagautinov and Zach Makovsky, in my eyes, are still great fighters who aren't even on the UFC roster. I want to make sure that every fighter in my weight division that steps into the Octagon knows that I will take away their hopes and dreams of being champion as long as I'm in the game."
Johnson is not just content with conquering each opponent put in front of him. Instead, he is looking to secure his legacy as one of the all-time greats. One legendary landmark within immediate reach is that of tying former middleweight champion Anderson Silva's UFC record of 10 straight title defenses when he faces challenger Wilson Reis in the main event of UFC on FOX 24 Saturday night.
"I'm not looking past him [Reis]," Johnson said. "I am training extremely hard for him. I have been taking care of my body a lot more this camp. I am looking to go out there, tie the record and then we can discuss where I would like to break the record."
For quite some time, Johnson didn't want to entertain the idea of being the mythical pound-for-pound greatest, nor did he put much energy into thoughts of breaking any particular records. Now, it's nearly impossible for him to avoid the conversation. Over the course of his historical run, his opinion has changed on the topic. He is now willing to reflect on the huge accomplishment at his doorstep, and it's one Johnson is certainly proud of.
Johnson has been dominating top competition longer than some fighters ever keep the gloves on, and that's a remarkable feat in an age where titleholders come and go with the wind.
Nevertheless, in the not-so-distant future Johnson could very easily walk away from the flyweight division. And when that day comes, Johnson plans to do so as the untouched, unblemished and only UFC flyweight champion of the world. He could drop the belt and go pursue his other passions and enjoy the rest of his life. He knows that may be easier said than done.
"That is always the goal," Johnson said. "In reality that is very, very far down the pipeline. If I fight until I am 38 things will change. I may get slower. I won't be as fast. There will always be young guys coming up. The longer you stay in the sport the chances of you losing become greater. I need to go out and win this one and win the next one. If I win two or three more after that maybe I call it a day. I just walk away and I would be good to go."