Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson: 11 straight UFC title defences | Ultimate Fighter Reunion

Why fans still care

DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON was the UFC’s first flyweight champion and held the belt for 2,142 days. He then moved to ONE Championship, won its flyweight title and retired as champion. He is in the Hall of Fame of both promotions.

Early life and getting started

Johnson came into MMA with a wrestling base. His long-time head coach Matt Hume built his game plans, and told ESPN that Johnson had beaten opponents at their own game. He first fought for a UFC title at bantamweight, losing a unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz, Who’s Who number 37 on 1 October 2011. When the UFC opened a flyweight division the next year, he dropped to 125 lb.

Career chapters

1. 2011Loses a bantamweight title fight to Dominick Cruz
2. 2012Becomes the first UFC flyweight champion
3. 2016Stops Henry Cejudo, Who’s Who number 18 at UFC 197
4. 201711th straight defence, breaking Anderson Silva’s, Who’s Who number 13 UFC record
5. 2018Loses the title to Henry Cejudo, Who’s Who number 18, then moves to ONE Championship
6. 2021Loses to Adriano Moraes
7. 2022Knocks out Moraes to win the ONE flyweight title
8. 2023Beats Moraes again
9. 2024Retires as ONE champion and enters the ONE Hall of Fame
10. 2026Inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

Flyweight champion 2012 to 2018

On 22 September 2012 at UFC 152 he beat Joseph Benavidez on a split decision to become the first UFC flyweight champion. Over the next five years he defended the title against John Dodson twice, Benavidez again, Kyoji Horiguchi, Tim Elliott, Wilson Reis and others. In April 2016 at UFC 197 he stopped Henry Cejudo, Who’s Who number 18 in the first round with knees to the body. On 7 October 2017 at UFC 216 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas he submitted Ray Borg in the fifth round for his 11th straight defence, breaking Anderson Silva’s, Who’s Who number 13 UFC record of 10. On 4 August 2018 at UFC 227 in Los Angeles he lost the title to Henry Cejudo, Who’s Who number 18 on a split decision, 48-47, 47-48, 48-47. The fight won Fight of the Night.

ONE Championship 2018 to 2024

Later in 2018 he moved to ONE Championship. In April 2021 he challenged ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moraes and was knocked out by a knee. In the rematch in Singapore in August 2022, ONE’s first event on Prime Video, he slipped a punch, staggered Moraes with a right hand and landed a flying knee in the fourth round to win the title. “But I truly believe I’m still getting better at 36,” he said. He beat Moraes again on a unanimous decision in May 2023.

Retirement and since 2024 to now

On 6 September 2024 at ONE 168 in Denver he announced his retirement in the cage, as champion. ONE named him the first member of its Hall of Fame. “I just wanna enjoy what I’ve done and walk away,” he said. He has kept competing in jiu-jitsu, winning gold and silver at the 2024 IBJJF Pan Championships. The UFC announced him for its Hall of Fame on 28 March 2026, and he was inducted in Las Vegas on 9 July 2026.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fights

He mixed wrestling, striking and submissions. Against Borg he got behind him standing, lifted him into a suplex and switched to the armbar while Borg was still in the air. ESPN’s FightMetric figures had him outlanding Borg 172 to 22 in total strikes. He finished Henry Cejudo, Who’s Who number 18 with knees to the body in the clinch, and in the Moraes rematch his body kicks and clinch knees turned the fight in the third round.

Teams and gyms

Matt Hume was his head coach and game planner. Before UFC 216, Hume called breaking Silva’s record “the greatest accomplishment in mixed martial arts”. In his retirement remarks Johnson recalled Georges St-Pierre, Who’s Who number 21 telling him, “There’s always gonna be another guy.”

Stories people still tell

1. The suplex armbar.

   He caught Borg in mid-air to set the record for consecutive UFC title defences.

2. A knockout reversed.

   He lost to Moraes by knockout in 2021, then took the title from him with a flying knee in 2022.

3. Leaving as a champ.

   He announced his retirement in the cage while still holding the ONE title.

Legacy

He was the first UFC flyweight champion, and his 11 straight title defences were a UFC record when he set them. He is in the UFC and ONE Halls of Fame.