RETIRED former ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Demetrious Johnson has nothing but good things to say about ONE Championship.
The American MMA GOAT couldn’t be more grateful with how the organization treated him ever since he first came to the promotion as part of a historic trade that sent him to ONE and Ben Askren to the UFC in 2018.
Johnson noted the difference between how he was treated and paid as the most dominant World Champion of the UFC at that time, compared to how he was compensated in ONE.
“ONE Championship is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Johnson told MMA Fighting.
“The reason why I say that is on multiple fronts. Obviously the [UFC antitrust] lawsuit just went preliminary [approval]. I remember somebody said [if] you take 23 percent of whatever you made in the company, that’s what it would be [that you earned].
“That time frame from 2011 all the way to 2017, I had 17 fights. I think 12 of them were World Championship fights and five of them weren’t. So I did all the math. I did all that stuff, and I was like what the f—? That’s all I made? I was in bed last night just doing the math. I was like godd—, I’m f— gutted. I was just gutted.”
READ: Demetrious Johnson, one of the GOATs in MMA, announces retirement
That’s the reason why Johnson remains committed to ONE even after retiring. He feels valued by the promotion, who treats him how he deserves to be treated – like the best fighter in the world.
“It was the best career decision I ever made,” Johnson said. “I love ONE Championship for it, and I’m still involved with ONE Championship helping them build their brand and their fighters. I’m so glad.”
Furthermore, Johnson admits that his controversial loss to Henry Cejudo in his last UFC fight proved to be a blessing in disguise. After all, a win would’ve kept him a champion there, thus making his transition to ONE a mere impossibility.
“If I had a crystal ball and foresee the future, if it was like if I beat Henry [Cejudo], my black ass would be stuck in the UFC, still fighting tooth and nail for more money, or if I looked into it and be like I should lose and you’re going to go over to ONE Championship and make more money? We going to lose this fight. It’s OK, don’t worry about it,” he said.
“But everything worked out the way it is. I believe God had a plan, and the way it played out is the way it should have played out. I’m truly grateful for that.”
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