The Friendly Fighter

Mighty Mouse, otherwise known as the record-breaking MMA champion Demetrious Johnson, drops in for a chat with us.

- Syed Zulfadhli

Demetrious Johnson may stand at only 1.6 metres. But the moment he walked into Evolve MMA’s training space for our shoot, on-going training sessions paused and all eyes turned to catch a glimpse of him. It’s less about the looks but more about the respect that the 33-year-old has garnered in the industry through the course of his career that prompted that reaction.

The record holder for the most UFC title defences was in town in July to prepare for a fight in Manila. One would expect someone of his calibre to be standoffish, especially having landed from the States just the day before. Johnson was anything but; needless to say, catching up with the world champ was a breeze.

You’ve come a long way, from winning your first professional bout in 2007 to being hailed as the greatest pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in history. What actually got you started in MMA?