Demetrious Johnson is known for providing extremely detailed breakdowns of MMA fights, and he often gets them right. Well, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is one of the consensus GOATs in the UFC because of his 11 title defenses, so that credential alone makes people trust his cage-fight predictions. However, when it came to boxing, fans weren’t happy with the former flyweight champ’s pick for the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight, as he sided with the massive underdog to become victorious.

“I think Jake can knock him out. Anthony Joshua was knocked out with some weird a— shots before. Andy Ruiz, Dubois knocked him out with a short overhand right, right? Jake Paul can land one of those shots. He can.” ‘DJ’ said on his podcast episode with Sean O’Malley.

Johnson has admired the Paul brothers from the very beginning. He has given the influencer brothers their flowers for carving their names into the combat sports world, especially for putting in the hard work to transition themselves into athletes and secure huge paydays. So, it’s understandable that ‘Mighty Mouse’s opinion didn’t shift much as Paul became a superstar. But he’s not the only one picking ‘El Gallo’ to win.

Anthony Joshua’s former opponent, Andy Ruiz Jr, who beat him in a heavyweight fight, also laid out a path to Jake Paul’s victory, saying ‘The Problem Child’ should look for the right hands. For the unversed, Ruiz hurt the Brit with a properly timed right hand in their fight, so he believes Paul could do the same.

Using that example, Demetrious Johnson also believes the 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer could use a similar strategy to secure a knockout. Still, the former flyweight champ accepted that Joshua would have the upper hand.

“He can destroy Jake Paul, but I don’t see that happen. I think he’s gonna try to prove a point. And you know what, maybe my black a— knows nothing. I don’t know s—t about boxing. But I think Jake Paul can potentially knock out Anthony Joshua.” Johnson added.

Even though ‘Mighty Mouse’ subtly accepted that the former two-time heavyweight boxing champion could absolutely destroy Jake Paul on December 19, at the end of the day, he still picked ‘El Gallo’ to pull off a massive upset. With that prediction out there, fans went crazy as they grilled Johnson for his pick.

Fan terms it a PR move

One user quickly chimed in and wrote, “This is the worst take DJ has ever had.” Well, Johnson picking Jake Paul to beat a former champion and Olympian does sound like a wild take. But if Paul actually ends up beating Joshua, or even gets close to it, ‘DJ’ would definitely gain legendary status for his predictions.

However, is it actually a smart PR stunt by the former champ? Because one fan believes it is, “W fence sitting by DJ. If he gets it wrong, he was obviously ragebaiting. If he gets it right, he’s a genius. Brilliant PR move.” And honestly, that could be true. Demetrious Johnson might pull serious traction on his channel just because of this hot take, as he’s already getting now. While that fan suspected a big PR play, another user joked that it might just be a symptom of ‘DJ’ having CTE.

“I thought they said DJ’s brain didn’t show any signs of CTE” a fan wrote jokingly. Following that humorous jab, another fan brought up Jake Paul’s track record of not knocking out younger fighters, arguing that ‘El Gallo’ couldn’t remotely score a knockout against Anthony Joshua, writing, “If he can’t knock out Tommy Fury or that other old boxer how do you expect him to knock out AJ lol?” And that exact argument is why ‘The Problem Child’ isn’t getting much wager money on his name to win against the British juggernaut.

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Another fan seemed to agree with ‘DJ’s prediction, writing, “Can’t even get mad at people predicting AJ will get knocked out, he has made a mockery of himself over his career.” It’s true that Joshua has taken some painful losses in key moments of his career, but will he actually lose to Jake Paul, who hasn’t faced a boxer like him before?

Well, Jake Paul connecting with the right hand could give him an upset. But it’s not surprising that the Brit remains a heavy favorite because of his credentials and size difference. That said, what’s your prediction for Judgment Day? Do you agree with Johnson? Let us know in the comments section below.