Demetrious Johnson might not be in the UFC anymore, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t compete with their athletes… even in the bantamweight division.
‘Mighty Mouse’ is coming off a win over Muay Thai legend Rodtang at ONE Champion’s 10-anniversary show. It was a rare mixed-rules bout, and the former flyweight champion put his opponent to sleep in the second round.
Johnson Believes He Can Still Hang With The UFC’s Best
Since leaving the UFC, Johnson moved back to 135 lbs, where he has fought four times. In a recent interview with Morning Kombat, Johnson said he believes he could hang with Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, who are competing in the co-main event of UFC 273.
“I know I’m a smaller 135er, but I think skillset-wise, I think I can hang with guys like Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling,” Johnson said. “I know Adriano Moraes can hang with those guys, too.
“They are definitely a lot, lot bigger, you know? I remember Aljamain Sterling said he walks around at 165 lbs. I was like, ‘Sh*t, I can barely get over 142 and I’m having ribs and everything.’ So, yeah.”
Johnson started his professional career at bantamweight before fighting at 125 lbs for most of his UFC career. He had a lot of success, only losing to Brad Pickett before the UFC and Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight championship.
Johnson wants to return in the summer for his second fight of 2022.
