- Demetrious Johnson won three consecutive matches in his black belt jiu-jitsu tournament debut
- “Mighty Mouse” got submitted in the quarterfinals
Demetrious Johnson pulled off a remarkable run at the IBJJF World Masters Championships but ultimately lost in the fourth match.
What a streak
Johnson entered the tournament brimming with confidence which undeniably spilled over the mat. Despite it being Johnson’s debut in a black belt jiu-jitsu tournament, the former UFC flyweight champion impressed the crowd by showcasing his elite ground game, beating his first three opponents.
In his third match, “Mighty Mouse” defeated Takuto Kako to advance to the quarterfinals. After realizing Kako was dejected after the match, Johnson displayed incredible sportsmanship and comforted his opponent with soothing words.
“Hey, it’s all good. There’s next year man. Hey, this is for fun. You’re life’s not gonna change. You’re gonna go home. Keep on training, have a beautiful wife and kids. Go back to work. This is for fun. There is more to life than winning, I promise,” Johnson told Kako.
Demetrious Johnson consoled his opponent after defeating him in a BJJ tournament 🤝
(via @MightyMouse) pic.twitter.com/VfQ5DM5F9E
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 30, 2024
Johnson touching gesture did not go unnoticed. In fact, former brown belt IBJJF world champion Dillon Danis was moved by it.
“Love this,” Danis wrote on the comment section of a post on Instagram.
Close but not quite
Unfortunately for Johnson, his unbeaten run was ended by Tomoya Yanagisawa. DJ failed to complete a four-fight winning streak after Yanagisawa dominated him for the better part of their quarterfinal match. Yanagisawa then eventually managed to tap Johnson.
Check out the highlights below:
Demetrious Johnson is Submitted in His 4th Match at the 2024 IBJJF World Masters.
“Mighty Mouse” Put Up an Impressive Performance Making His Black Belt Debut.
🎥 @MightyMouse @ibjjf pic.twitter.com/ctWer7YyFi
— Lock-In Jiu-Jitsu (@lockinjiujitsu) August 31, 2024
Despite the defeat, “Mighty Mouse” was happy to have still performed well in his black belt debut.
“Definitely did more than I expected I would. I really wanted to just get one win in the division because this is my third tournament. First black belt tournament, and I’m happy. I just made a mistake, I should of forced the takedown but it’s very hard because it’s not about athleticism. It’s more of a strategy,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel.
Prior to this, Johnson captured the gold medal as a brown belt at the previous IBJJF World Masters Championships. From the look of it, “Mighty Mouse” is likely to compete again in the next tournament.
Watch Johnson’s full video below:
