Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has had a successful career in MMA. The fighter left behind a legacy that many fighters fought for years to achieve.
The fighter recently opened up about his experience in the MMA industry and spoke about his journey. Johnson disclosed he was exchanged for Ben Askren to ONE Championship, but before this move, the fighter had fought for years under the UFC banner. Although the athlete believed his time in the UFC was beneficial, his switch to ONE Championship opened his eyes to some discrepancies in his former promotion.
“Micky Mouse” has had a long and successful career in MMA. After a good run, Johnson announced his retirement from the sport in September. Before his retirement, the fighter switched to ONE championship and revealed that this was his best decision. Johnson said his move opened his eyes to the unfairness in UFC, one of which is the underpayment of fighters in the promotion.
“ONE Championship is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Johnson told MMA Fighting. “The reason why I say that is on multiple fronts. Obviously the [UFC antitrust] lawsuit just went preliminary [approval] and I remember somebody said you take 23 percent of whatever you made in the company and that’s what it would be [that you earned].
“That time frame from 2011 all the way to 2017, I had 17 fights. I think 12 of them were world championship fights and five of them weren’t. So I did all the math, I did all that stuff and I was like what the f*ck? That’s all I made? I was in bed last night just doing the math. I was like godd*mn, I’m f*cking gutted.And I was just gutted.”
The rumour about UFC’s underpaying fighters came to light after the promotion went to court for a lawsuit. In brief, UFC was accused of underpaying its athletes, and it was established that the promotion pays fighters only 16-20% of the revenue generated from the tournament. The lawsuit has since reached an agreed settlement, but this news brought some scrutiny to the promotion. Financial disclosure revealed that the fighters earned less than athletes in other sports like the NFL and NBA.
Before leaving the promotion, Johnson had no idea about this pay infringement until he compared his pay at ONE Championship to that of UFC.
“For being one of the best fighters in the world, at one point in time, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I was like f*ck, godd*mn,” Johnson said. “If I would have done NBA, f*cking baseball, it would have been f*cking pennies on the dollar what I made in the UFC.”
“I think the first thing that came to my mind, and I’m going to stop at that,” Johnson said. “If I was the champion, and I did 17 fights during that time frame and I did all of the math, without the Reebok sponsorship and without the Dodge Dart and all the other sponsorships because I don’t really know those numbers. I felt very comfortable with the numbers I put there. If I made this much, and I feel a certain way, I’m curious what the next guy felt.
“Like Joseph [Benavidez], Ray Borg, John Dodson, John Moraga, the list just goes on. That was the first thing. Me and my producer talked about that this morning. I was like if I feel this way, and I was the champion and I was winning all my fights, I don’t think anybody else in the flyweight division was making more money than me, so if I feel this way, imagine how those guys feel.”
Johnson disclosed that his move to ONE Championship was the best decision he made in his career. However, he acknowledges that the UFC gave him the platform to be recognized by ONE Championship in the first place.
“Let’s not get it twisted. I am grateful for my time in the UFC because that gave me the platform to be able to build my brand,” Johnson said. “When I went over to Asia, I already had a fan base. I wasn’t a new kid coming into there. I was on the biggest platform in North America, became a world champion, pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. 11 consecutive title defenses, so I made my career in the UFC. There hasn’t been anybody else that’s able to do what I’ve been able to do in terms of the UFC. So I think it’s only right but if they see fit that I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, then absolutely I’ll accept it.
“Like I said, there’s no ill will. It does me no good to go to bed at night pissed off at Dana White. There’s no energy. That’s a waste of energy. There’s no ill will that I don’t want the UFC to succeed. Because it does nothing for me. If they succeed, awesome. If they fail, OK, it is what it is. But my time in the UFC was amazing. I’ll absolutely accept that award.”
The fight still holds the record for the most consecutive title fight victories and defences under the banner of the UFC, with a staggering 11 straight championship defences,
