After going through the weirdest possible scenario for a fighter, Demetrious Johnson has set his sights on the future.
It was just a few short weeks ago when Johnson was told he was victorious in the inaugural UFC flyweight bout against Ian McCall, and had his hand risen in front of the Sydney crowd. Only he hadn’t won the fight, and later on in the night, Dana White famously told the fighters a draw was the correct decision and the wrong outcome was announced in front of millions.
I had a chance to chat with Demetrious on ‘Fighting Solo Radio’. Soon after Dana White called him in, Johnson suspected the post fight meeting to regard something entirely different.
“The first thing that went through my mind was when we were fighting, someone in the crowd booed us and then Ian flipped him off,” Johnson said. “Next thing you knew we were called in the office, and I thought Dana was going to take away our Fight of the Night Bonus.”
Johnson was fully concerned with the possible repercussions of McCall’s post fight behavior, and remembered the importance of representing MMA and the UFC internationally.
“We’re trying to be great ambassadors for this sport, and the last thing we need is someone out there flipping off the crowd on national television,” Johnson said.
After losing a decision to Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz, the AMC Pankration wrestler has cut down to 125 pounds hoping for this weight to be his new home. In testing out the waters of the UFC’s newest weight class, Johnson has learned from his mistakes and is preparing for improvements in his return to the octagon.
“I came in really light (two pounds over) and after weigh ins, I didn’t carb back up. My body wasn’t running right, and as you could see in the third round (against McCall) I could move, but I had no juice on my punches,” Johnson said. “I’m going to get my diet correct and be a different fighter June 8.”
As a fighter who has relied heavily on his overwhelming speed for his whole career, Johnson is now at a weight where he will be matched more evenly in the strength department. Johnson is happy with the new weight but knows what skill remains most important.
“I’m blessed with a little power, but I’m gifted with a lot of speed,” Johnson said. “Speed is my power.”
Rebounding from this has been just another speed bump for “Mighty Mouse”, who is now in full preparation mode as the rematch with McCall nears.
“I’ve been working on my overall game,” Johnson said. “You got to be ready for everybody you can’t just sit there and focus on one thing. If you improve your whole game you’ll be ready for the next opponent. “
UFC on FX on June 8 is when the two flyweights will go at it again, as they headline the free card. The winner will be awarded a title shot against Joseph Benavidez who took down Yasuhiro Urishitani. A location has yet to be announced.
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