SUMMARY
- James Johnson has boasted about his 7-0 and 20-0 record in MMA and Kickboxing respectively.
- The NBA player claimed he could defeat UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones in an MMA fight.
NBA player James Johnson aggravated a good chunk of the world’s population that follows mixed martial arts. Johnson never necessarily had the greatest career as a basketball player. He played for multiple franchises while averaging only 7.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game through 14 seasons.
In October 2023, the Indiana Pacers forward made an extremely questionable comment on UFC fighter Jon Jones. He said, “I think I could beat him for real. With a year of training defense, I just need ground defense. I’ve been punching and kicking since I was five, six years old.” Keep in mind that Jones is currently the UFC’s Heavyweight champion. The veteran fighter has remained undefeated throughout his career except during one bout against Matt Hamill.
One of Jones’ former rivals, Daniel Cormier thought that James Johnson was completely out of his mind for thinking he could defeat Jones. He said, “Can you just decide that you can be the heavyweight champion of the world? Is he out of his f**** mind? In a mixed martial arts fight wrestling, it was hard for me to take him down.” Jones and Cormier fought each other twice for the light heavyweight title. Jones won both times despite Cormier being the most experienced between to two.
Is James Johnson undefeated in MAA and Kickboxing?
James Johnson has previously stated that he has experience in both, MMA and Kickboxing. Sources claim that Johnson made his professional debut in MMA when he was 18 years old. Johnson won his debut fight in just over a minute and a half. The NBA player boasts a 7-0 record in MMA and a 20-0 record in Kickboxing.
Unfortunately, there is no evidence to prove that James was an experienced fighter. James left both sports to focus on a basketball career. He went on to play for multiple teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Indiana Pacers.
Not only did James Johnson try challenging Jon Jones, but he also challenged a man who was notorious for winning fights despite being under the influence of substances. Jones is widely considered the greatest MMA fighter ever over superstars like Cormier, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov as well. Several of Jones’ peers believe he is the most complete UFC fighter there ever has been.