In a recent episode of the MightyCast, Dillon Danis showed a surprising side of respect when discussing Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson‘s decision to compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi tournaments.
Danis praised Johnson’s willingness to compete at IBJJF events, calling it
“Actually, very, very hard to humble yourself as a 10-time or however many-time UFC champ… and go and compete in an IBJJF tournament in some backyard and compete against guys that are just random. Like, it’s actually respectable because, you know, it takes—you have to be really humble to do that. I don’t know if I could do that.”
This moment of respect stands out given Danis’s typically brash persona and frequent controversial statements about other MMA stars. His acknowledgment of Johnson’s humility in competition reveals an understanding of what it means for a legendary champion to step outside their comfort zone and test themselves in a different discipline.
Johnson, for his part, explained his journey into gi competition came later in his career. He revealed that he only received his black belt a year ago, despite his extensive mixed martial arts background.
“I got my black belt a year ago, almost… when I joined, when I started doing mixed martial arts, I was just training everything: kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, all that stuff. And then, at one point, we implemented the gi into the gym.”
The former UFC flyweight champion described how Bibiano Fernandes pushed him toward gi competition, telling him
“If you want your black belt, you need to compete in jiu-jitsu.”
This led Johnson to focus more seriously on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, eventually competing in and winning major tournaments like Master Worlds before earning his black belt.
Johnson’s experience competing in gi tournaments has been both humbling and educational. He noted the unique challenges of facing opponents who have dedicated decades to perfecting specific positions:
“When you go against a black belt at Masters… dude. It’s like they’ve spent 20, 30 years, and they always have like one good position that they’re good at, and it’s like so annoying. So annoying. But that’s why I love it, because it’s a challenge.”
Danis’s respect for this approach is notable given his own competitive background. Despite his often inflammatory comments about other MMA stars’ abilities, he recognizes the courage it takes for an established champion to enter unfamiliar competitive waters. His admission that he doesn’t know if he could do the same thing demonstrates a rare moment of self-reflection from the typically confident grappler.
