“Izzy is on His Way”- Demetrious Johnson Weighs in on Goat Debate

Published 11/16/2020, 10:45 AM EST

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has given his take on the G.O.A.T conversation. Many could consider DJ the G.O.A.T as he holds the record for most UFC title defenses (11) in the promotion.

Having moved to ONE Championship from the UFC, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is in pursuit of the ONE Flyweight title. Johnson capped off a stellar 2019 by winning the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. Along with a silver belt, he became the #1 ranked contender to challenge champion, Adriano Moraes.

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Speaking to MMA Junkie, Johnson gave his opinion on the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

Demetrious Johnson thinks Jones is the best right now

“Jon Jones has gotta be No. 1 for me,” Johnson said. “His title reign, I’ve seen him train before, how he’s beaten so many great light heavyweights before. And then after that, it starts to get cloudy, I’m not gonna lie.

“I think some athletes are on their way, like if Khabib would keep on fighting and do five or six or seven or eight more fights, then I’ll throw him in.”

Mighty Mouse believes that the duration of a champion is important because it is tough to stay motivated at the top.

“For me, I like to see longevity. I like to see dominance. Longevity is a big thing,” DJ continued. “When you look at Jon Jones, I think he’s 15 world title fights? That’s a lot of work to stay motivated, staying on top to keep on winning.”

However, DJ also thinks there could be another contender to Jon Jones. Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has seen a meteoric rise since joining the UFC.

DJ seems to hold Stylebender in high regard. “I think Izzy is on his way. If he goes up to light heavyweight and beats the champion there, and he goes up to fight Jon Jones, he’s definitely on his way.”

Criteria to be in the G.O.A.T discussion

‘Mighty Mouse’ is no stranger to title defenses, having a record 11 of them. He also holds a record for 11 submission wins in the UFC.

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“Is it a popularity contest? What exactly puts you in that discussion of the greatest of all time?” Johnson said. “For me, it’s longevity, how many championships have you done, a little bit of everything.”

DJ went on to conclude, “Jon Jones, look at his grappling, look at his hands, look at his submissions, look at how long he’s been a champion.”

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Having cemented his legacy in the UFC, Mighty Mouse is looking to add more gold to his collection by winning the ONE Championship Flyweight Title.

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Keith D'Souza is part of the Essentially Sports MMA writing team. Having followed the sport since 2013, some of his favorite fighters include Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, and Johny Hendricks. Keith also runs PureMMAIndia, a brand that promotes MMA over social media which aims at growing the sport in India.

“Izzy is on His Way”- Demetrious Johnson Weighs in on Goat Debate

Demetrious Johnson thinks Jones is the best right now

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Criteria to be in the G.O.A.T discussion