One of the most controversial trade-offs the UFC ever signed up for was perhaps ‘Mighty Mouse,’ besides Ben Askren, of course. Even back then, in 2018, Demetrious Johnson and his skill were unmatched. Nevertheless, Dana White & Co. played an interesting card by trading him to ONE Championship. And that came at a time when Johnson’s relationship with the UFC took a turn for the worse.

Even today, Johnson is just as skilled and accomplished as well. His skill is still sharp as a blade, and no one can forget his fight with Muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon and his mid-air arm lock. And perhaps his biggest fan is Joe Rogan. But did Rogan have something to do with his trade-off? Here’s Johnson’s take.

The truth about Demetrious Johnson’s trade-off

Joe Rogan speaks of ‘Mighty Mouse’ often, and he speaks of him fondly. He’s called him “the highest level of expression of mixed martial arts ability” when his Joe Rogan Experience guest David Goggins asked him who the GOAT was.

Recently, Johnson appeared on Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s podcast, Jaxxon, to discuss a bunch of things. There, he was asked about rumors that suggested Rogan was the one who instigated his trade-off. Regardless, for Johnson, these were things he already knew of. “See, I talked to Joe Rogan, and Joe Rogan said, ‘No, I had nothing to do with it.’ So, you you never know,” he said. But he did elaborate on the role Joe Rogan could’ve played.

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Johnson revealed, “When I heard that Joe Rogan convinced Dana White to do it, it was, you know, Joe was like, ‘Dude, just why not? Just get Ben Askren and see what’s going to happen, right? If you plan on getting rid of the division, do it.” Ultimately, Johnson believes White had a bigger role to play. “Even though Joe Rogan is one of my biggest fans and he believes in my skill set, I think at the time that it was Dana White.” 

At the time, Johnson was a flyweight fighter in the UFC, and the division wasn’t doing too well in terms of popularity. ‘Mighty Mouse’ later admitted that Dana White gave his all trying to promote it, but the division just didn’t gain traction in North America. “I just think, at that time, when I fought, [the UFC] just wasn’t ready for the viewership.” Perhaps that was why White considered dismantling the whole division. So, it only made sense to trade Johnson off.

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While Dana White did what he could to promote Demetrious Johnson and the flyweight division, ‘Mighty Mouse’ also revealed that the UFC Presiden “sh*t on him” (and many others). That begs the question…

What created the rift between Johnson and Dana White?

The whole thing started when Demetrious Johnson was streaming on Twitch one day. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on August 16, 2o22, Johnson revealed how a fan broke the news about The Ultimate Fighter to him. Explaining that it would involve the UFC bringing 16 fighters from around the world to fight for Johnson’s flyweight title, the former champion thought the idea was “stupid.” And Dana White wasn’t pleased.

Per Johnson, “Dana White called [me], and he goes, ‘You dumba**! You just ruined this whole thing we’re trying to set up for you!’” Despite ‘Mighty Mouse’ not being in the wrong, things didn’t get any better. Dana White allegedly asked the flyweight division to fight T.J. Dillashaw, the then-bantamweight champion of the UFC. Johnson said Dillashaw already looked “shredded” at 135 pounds, and it would only be fair for him to make weight at 125 for a flyweight contest.

However, Dana White did not work with that condition. Then, Johnson asked him for a $1 million payout if he fought Dillashaw. Again, the condition fell flat with the UFC Head honcho, who later expressed, “We’re going to close the division,” according to Johnson. Of course, that did not happen, and we know the rest.

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