Legendary MMA star Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has not trained in mixed martial arts for the past 18 months, the UFC great revealed in a recent interview. Instead, the former UFC flyweight champion has been focusing solely on his jiu-jitsu training.
In a discussion with the Jaxon podcast, Mighty Mouse explained his shift in training focus. “I train jiu-jitsu now, about 5 hours a week. That’s it. When I was doing MMA, I was training 25 hours a week. It’s just a different beast,” he said.
Despite his time away from full MMA training, Johnson remains confident in his abilities on the grappling mats. He is set to make his black belt debut at the Worlds in 2024, a prestigious international jiu-jitsu competition.
“It’s going to be a different level. I’ve been submitted more as a black belt than I was as a brown belt. I’m exploring a new game now, trying to develop different techniques,” Johnson shared.
The 125-pound MMA great is no longer chasing title runs or aiming to compete at the highest levels of mixed martial arts. Instead, he is embracing jiu-jitsu as a new passion project, training a fraction of the hours he once did for MMA fights.
“If I could be the best in the world at jiu-jitsu by training 5 hours a week, I’d be happy. My life is so much more than just fighting now,” Mighty Mouse explained.
While he hasn’t ruled out a potential MMA return down the line, for now, Demetrious Johnson is solely focused on his jiu-jitsu journey and enjoying the next chapter of his storied combat sports career.
