During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Johnson shed light on his decision to delve into the realm of pure grappling. ‘Mighty Mouse’ shared his perspective on the upcoming endeavor:
“Exploring jiu-jitsu presents a unique opportunity for me to assess my skills. Transitioning to the gi allowed me to rely less on my athleticism and instead focus on mastering grips. Participating in the Master Worlds competition is my way of gauging my progress. The event features a 38-man bracket, and I’m determined to give it my all. Let’s see how I measure up and what unfolds.”
“Life’s too short not to explore different avenues, and it’s something that I want to do. It’s something I want to do. And I don’t want to do a lot of things. But that’s something I was like, no, I want to do it. I really want to get my black belt. I’m a brown belt now.”
While Demetrious Johnson’s stature as one of MMA’s greatest fighters is indisputable, his distinct style seamlessly blends striking and grappling prowess—a combination that has propelled him to extraordinary success over the past decade.
Stepping away from his striking roots to engage exclusively in grappling raises intriguing questions about how ‘Mighty Mouse’ will fare against the world’s most formidable submission grapplers.
Johnson entered the IBJJF Master World Championship on August 31, 2023, where he will compete in the brown belt Master 2 featherweight division.
