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Demetrious Johnson is happy to be the GOAT on the roster of a rising superstar who could hold that spot for years to come.
Johnson, a former longtime UFC flyweight champion and current ONE Championship flyweight grand prix champion, has been unable to compete in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Once Khabib Nurmagomedov subdued Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and announced his retirement, the biggest debate of all time resurfaced again.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, the current UFC middleweight champion and one of the sport’s biggest stars, Israel Adesanya, gave his thoughts on the GOAT debate.
“If we want to talk about ‘Ultimate GOAT’, has everyone forgotten Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson?” Adesanya asked. “Just the perfect, or nearly perfect, fighter.”
The current record holder for back-to-back UFC title defenses has been honored to have received accolades from Adesanya and shared some of his for the 185-pound champion.
“I think it’s awesome,” Johnson told MMA Fighting, appearing on What the hell. “I only have respect for Izzy and I said to him after what he did to Paulo, ‘If you keep doing such performances you will be on your way.’
“The way he took it down, it’s very rare for a fighter to do anything in a fight that will make me think about certain things and what he did to Paulo, I was like, ‘Duh, simple. Footwork. This is the easiest way to undo Paulo Costa’s strike. What he did at Uriah Hall, Yoel Romero, he couldn’t do at Adesanya because he used footwork.
While Johnson should be mentioned on most lists when it comes to the all-time greats of the sport, he believes that if Adesanya continues on the road he currently travels, it won’t be long before “The Last Stylebender ”joins him, especially after his recent arrival in Costa’s first round at UFC 253 in September.
“I was like, ‘Good for you, Izzy. You impress me all the time, ”Johnson said. “After I knocked out Paulo, I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s on his way.’
“If he keeps doing that, then goes to light heavyweights, then if he goes up to heavyweight to fight Jon Jones, that’s all the stages.” I feel like he’s going to be in the sport for a long time, a champion for a long time as long as he continues to evolve. I feel like he has the mentality to do this because he watches anime. Anime always keeps your mind fresh and allows you to evolve. “
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