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During his UFC run, Demetrious Johnson ruled the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings. He has set new highs for UFC title defenses and was considered one of the greatest fighters to ever step foot inside the UFC octagon.

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Beating Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive title defenses, Johnson believed, was not easy for him. Thus, it would be very tough for current UFC fighters always looking for money fights to beat this record.

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However, Johnson did name three fighters who could climb the mountain. Talking about whether he would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame or not, Johnson said, “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I mean, I think what I’ve done for, in the UFC, you know, 11 successive title defenses.”

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Also Read – John Lineker Reflects on the Vicious Knockout of Bibiano Fernandes – ‘It Represents My Life’

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Johnson added, “I think the only people who are close to beat that is – Valentina Shevchenko, but she continues to impress me. Every time she steps into the octagon. Kamaru Usman. Israel Adesanya.”

Currently, the middleweight champion, ‘The Last Stylebender‘, the welterweight champion, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘, and the women’s flyweight champion, ‘Bullet‘, have four, five, and six title defenses to their name respectively.

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Demetrious Johnson will take part in a special rule match at ONE:X

After a successful UFC run, Johnson went to the Home of Martial Arts and won the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Championship. Though he lost to Adriano Moraes that too by a knockout, Johnson is still looking to challenge himself.

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Stepping into Rodtang’s world, with only one amateur Muay Thai bout under his belt, would not be a smart decision for any fighter. However, Johnson is not an ordinary fighter. Regarded as one of the GOATs of MMA, the American mixed martial artist is going to compete in a special mixed rules fight. A one-of-a-kind fight with four rounds, switching between Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts rule in between rounds.

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A four-round fight seems weird, as both the fighters surviving each other’s strength would result in a draw.

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However, many believe it would be tough for Rodtang to stop Johnson’s takedown in the second round. However, Johnson taking the fight to the second round would be a big ask. Mighty Mouse recently revealed that he doesn’t want to stand with Rodtang and would rather follow Bruce Lee’s philosophy–’float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’.

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Also Read – Adriano Moraes Certain Demetrious Johnson Will Survive Rodtang’s Muay Thai – Predicts a Second Round Finish

What do you think of Demetrious Johnson’s comments? Who will get his hand raised at ONE:X? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

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Deepak Kumar

1,085 Articles

Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight business brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds. Now, a hardcore fan of names like Petr Yan, Charles Oliveira, and Tony Ferguson, he just can't even miss a single fight. This has helped him develop a passionate understanding of the sport that he hopes to translate into his work. When not working, he likes to hang out with his squad.

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Edited by

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Paras Pande

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