Former flyweight king Demetrious Johnson may not be in the UFC anymore, but he is still highly respected. This was seen again recently, when Michael Chiesa made a bold proclamation about DJ’s status as the GOAT.
Hardcore fans will remember that Chiesa and Johnson actually competed on the same card together at one point. This was early in the lengthy title reign of Mighty Mouse, but he was looking to earn his second title defense, which he did by beating John Moraga. Michael on the other hand, lost to eventual BMF champ Jorge Masvidal in what would be his first defeat in the company. Although both men would go on to have lengthy careers since then, they never shared the same event again.
Michael Chiesa Declares Demetrious Johnson The GOAT
Despite only competing alongside each other one time, Michael Chiesa has a ton of respect for Demetrious Johnson. He showed this again recently, when he took to his social media to retweet a clip of the former flyweight champ. It was a video of DJ’s legendary Mighty Wiz Bar, which he got by suplexing Ray Borg, while simultaneously locking in the armbar from the back. It was one of the greatest sequences in MMA history, and Michael acknowledged as much, while saying that Mighty Mouse is the greatest fighter in MMA history.
“Greatest fighter of all time, don’t @ me.”
Greatest fighter of all time, don’t @ me. https://t.co/OV4DxsCes6
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) September 3, 2020
The GOAT discussion is always going to be subjective, but there is nothing wrong with this pick from Chiesa. Johnson holds the record for most UFC title defenses, dominating most of his opposition every time. On the other hand, the naysayers will point out that the flyweight division was not very developed at the time, especially compared to the divisions of other contenders for being the GOAT, such as Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre.
Do you agree with Michael Chiesa, that Demetrious Johnson is MMA’s GOAT?
