ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson believes his proposed clash with bodybuilder Bradley Martyn has taken on a life of its own in recent weeks.
Martyn has made a name for himself on social media as a fitness guru and professional bodybuilder, but recently he has drawn the ire of the mixed martial arts community after calling out some of MMA’s biggest names for a street fight. That includes the ‘Stockton Samurai’ Nate Diaz and general consensus flyweight GOAT, Demetrious Johnson.
Recently, Martyn suggested that he could easily handle Johnson given the significant size discrepancy between the two men. Getting word of his comments, ‘Mighty Mouse’ let it be known that he was more than willing to step on the mat and find out what Martyn is truly made of.
Once news of their potential contest broke, things quickly spiraled with many reporting that the 250-pound Martyn would be facing the 150-pound Johnson in a street fight. Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Johnson addressed the heavily-rumored matchup but first wanted to get some clarification on what exactly Martyn considers to be a street fight.
“I never knew who Bradley Martyn is until Brendan Schaub did that interview with him and you know, he has this thing. ‘I bet I could bet you in a street fight.’ Let’s stop right there,” Johnson said. “A street fight. What is technically a street fight? Ask yourself that. Everybody out there watching this, ask yourself what is a street fight. I know what a street fight is. A street fight is anything goes.
“I had a buddy who got jumped by five f*cking dudes. Guess what he carries on him now? He pulled up his shirt and he had two f*cking daggers in his belt line. I said, ‘Dude, what is that?’ He goes, ‘I got jumped. I wish a motherf*cker would try to fight me in a street fight. They’re getting jabbed up.’ Or is the person carrying a gun? Does he have a bat? What is technically in the realm of a street fight?
“So I think that is a good question for Bradley Martyn to answer because he asks everybody, ‘You think you could beat me in a street fight?’ What is a street fight?”
Demetrious Johnson talks Bradley Martyn#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/pMSLhrnIWV
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 16, 2023
Despite what may be circulating in the headlines, Johnson has no intention of fighting Bradley Martyn in a street fight. ‘Mighty Mouse’ was simply hoping to roll with the big man for a while and see what he can do on the ground.
“I would love to go down there and just grapple him,” Johnson continued. “No animosity. Just, ‘Hey dude, Demetrious Johnson, Bradley Martyn, come on, let’s go. Show me what you got big man. Big muscle man, what you f*cking gonna do, mate?’ Just go out there and play. Now everybody and their f*cking mom has taken it to a level… If it was an MMA fight, I’m f*cking your liver up.
“I hope you spear tackle me because then you just crossed all the distance. You’re in my clinch. You’re in my elbows. You’re in my grappling realm.”
Demetrious Johnson Determined to Meet Bradley Martyn on the Mat
Even though the bout has escalated into something he never intended it to be, Johnson has every intention of making things happen with Martyn one way or another.
“It’s almost turned into something that was supposed to be fun. Now it’s just blown out of proportion so we’ll see what happens. I know it’s going to happen. I want it to happen. It’s just finding the right way to navigate it.”
Part of Johnson’s insistence on making the contest happen is to quell the trash talk of another man who believes his size is more than enough to make up for the lack of combat sports experience, something ‘Mighty Mouse’ has been dealing with throughout his entire career.
“The biggest thing about this is proving that just because your big doesn’t mean you can beat somebody who’s smaller. If I wasn’t a trained athlete, then yeah. He would absolutely destroy me. But I’ve been spending the last 20 years of my f*cking life dealing with people who were bigger than me. This is the realm I deal with it every single day of my life.
“When’s the last time he wrestled someone who was 300 pounds? He hasn’t. I’ve dealt with this my whole entire life. So when someone says, ‘I’m bigger than you. I can beat you.’ Okay, come on. Let’s see what you can do.”
Martyn stands at 6’3″ tall, an entire foot taller than Demetrious Johnson, and outweighs ‘Mighty Mouse’ by nearly 100 pounds. Even so, fight fans, including Ariel Helwani, are more than willing to bet the house that Johnson comes out on top, no matter the terms.
