SUMMARY
- Demetrious Johnson is one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever compete inside the cage.
- With championships in ONE and UFC, Demetrious Johnson has secured his legacy inside the cage.
Every fighter has an arc. Along the way, there are peaks and valleys they must go through in order to develop as both humans and better athletes. And ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson has always gone out of his way to help those around him come through the hard times.
One of those people is former UFC Welterweight World Champion Tyron Woodley, who began to drift to the dark side early in his career despite winning his first 10 bouts consecutively. And as he started to fall deep in with the wrong crowd, “The Chosen One” credits “Mighty Mouse” for getting him back on track.
“When I was in StrikeForce, I felt like I was a goodie-two-shoes. Everybody else was getting DWIs and still making money. I dipped my toe in that water for a minute,” Woodley said. “[Johnson] tried to pull me out of that water and I respect and appreciate that [he’s] a man that can forgive and can be friends again. [He was] the only one trying to pick me up and get me doing the real thing.”
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“[He was] telling me all the right things, but I didn’t want to hear them. I appreciate [him] trying to help me at that time. I learned a lot quickly because of it. Now I’m living quietly off the grid, no VIP parties.”
After Johnson’s intervention, Woodley then went on to achieve great success in the all-encompassing sport as well as reconciling with “Mighty Mouse” to become close friends once again.
How early struggles allowed Demetrious Johnson to become MMA GOAT
It’s no secret that ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson’s early life wasn’t easy. Coming from a broken home with an abusive step-father and a deaf mother, “Mighty Mouse’s” character was tested regularly and he had to grow up quickly. While the saying suggests “hurt people, hurt people,” the toughness he displayed to get through those trying times isn’t obvious in the MMA GOAT we see today.
Johnson’s mental toughness from childhood adversity allowed him to soar when entering the all-encompassing sport, quickly finding something he could excel in away from the construction yards. At 37 years old, “Mighty Mouse” reconciled with his past in order to become a better person and let go of lifelong angst to reach unparalleled success as the flyweight king in both the UFC and ONE Championship.
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In 2017, Johnson met his biological father for the first time. He helped him put previous trauma behind him and move on in order to become a better dad, husband, and fighter. And once everything came together, Johnson later became ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion after parting ways with the UFC in the most historic trade deal in MMA history.