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Demetrious Johnson

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Demetrious Johnson is a famous mixed martial artist from America. Many people call him one of the greatest fighters in the world. He is most famous for his time in the UFC. In that group, he was the very first Flyweight Champion. This means he was the best fighter in the 125-pound weight class. He held his title for a very long time. He defended his championship 11 times in a row. This is a huge record in the sport.

Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson

Johnson learned how to fight by being very active in sports. He grew up in Parkland, Washington. In high school, he was a star in wrestling and track. He even did cross country to help his heart stay strong. He was very good at wrestling at a young age. In 2004, he placed 2nd in a state wrestling tournament. In 2005, he placed 3rd in the same tournament. He chose to stay near his family after high school. He went to Pierce College for two years while he worked.

His path to becoming a champion had many steps. He started training in mixed martial arts as a hobby. Later, he joined a group called AMC Pankration. There, he met a famous trainer named Matt Hume. Johnson began fighting as an amateur in 2006. He won all nine of his amateur fights. After that, he moved to professional fights. He won his first professional fight in Alaska with a head kick. This helped him get a deal with a group called the WEC.

Johnson had many amazing moments in the UFC. In 2012, he fought Joseph Benavidez in a big tournament. He won that fight to become the first UFC Flyweight Champion. He went on to win many more fights using different skills. He used an armbar to win against Kyoji Horiguchi in 2015. He even won a fight with a very fast move called a suplex-to-armbar. He won many awards for his skill. One was the ESPY Award for Fighter of the Year in 2017.

After the UFC, Johnson moved to a new group called ONE Championship. He joined them in late 2018. He fought in a big event called the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. He won his first fight against Yuya Wakamatsu in March 2019. Then, he beat Tatsumitsu Wada in the semi-finals. Finally, he defeated Danny Kingad to win the Grand Prix title. His hard work is being honored in a special way. In March 2026, it was announced he will join the UFC Hall of Fame. This will happen in Las Vegas in June 2026.

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