Demetrious Johnson ranks himself No. 2 on personal GOAT list
28/11/2023 21:00
Demetrious Johnson isn't shy about naming himself as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time. But how high is he willing to go?
Discussing the Mount Rushmore of MMA GOATs on his YouTube channel, "Mighty Mouse" presented his list of the four best fighters ever, where he placed just short of the top spot.
"At No. 2, you have yours truly, moi, Demetrious Johnson," Johnson said. "Nobody has been able to do what I've been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division. Eleven consecutive title defenses, created a brand new move that many of you guys have never seen—shout-out to Matt Hume who helped me to learn that move—I have wins by knockout, submission, by decision, got a split draw, whatever you want to call it."
Just behind Johnson on his list are longtime UFC champions Georges St-Pierre at No. 3 and Anderson Silva at No. 4
Comparing himself to Silva, Johnson gives himself the edge due to the fact that he believes he was more willing to aggressively mix the martial arts in pursuit of a finish.
"Let me tell you what, if you have prime Demetrious Johnson, and [Silva's UFC 97 opponent] Thales Leites goes to his back and wants to pull guard, you best believe my black ass is not going to tell him to stand the f*** up," Johnson said. "I'm going to go right in his guard and go bust his f****** guard up with my jiu-jitsu. That's why I would take prime Demetrious Johnson over prime Anderson Silva."
Silva defeated Leites via a forgettable unanimous decision, one lowlight in a career filled with some of the most memorable finishes in MMA history.
Championship finishes is one category in which Johnson—currently No. 7 on MMA Fighting's Pound-for-Pound list—has many of his peers beat as he finished seven of his UFC-record 11 straight title defenses. It's this killer instinct that Johnson feels puts him above not just Silva, but also St-Pierre, a dominant welterweight champion who went to the scorecards more often than not.
"For me to have 11 consecutive title defenses and always look for the finish against my opponents, against Kyoji Horiguchi, Chris Cariaso, John Dodson, Ray Borg, Henry Cejudo, the list goes on," Johnson said. "And to be able to go to a different organization where I'm fighting at 135, I'm fighting bigger opponents, different rule set, I was able to win a world grand prix, which is a tournament-style, three fights in one year, and then turn around and fight for the belt. I came back, knocked the guy out and then I defended the belt and then after all that I go do an IBJJF Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament, my first time in the gi, brown belt masters at 37 years old, and I go out there and I win it.
"Not one point got scored on me, not any one of those fighters, not even f****** Jon Jones himself would do that and be able to pass with flying colors, so I think the ability for me to be able to transition into different things is what puts me above those guys. Typically, I don't put myself above people, since we're having this discussion I'll go ahead and make an argument for myself why I believe I'm in that top 4."
It's only current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones that Johnson puts ahead of him on his GOAT list. Jones reigned over the light heavyweight division for years with wins over a number of marquee names and has yet to to suffer a true defeat in competition.
"Jon 'Bones' Jones," Johnson said when announcing his No. 1 fighter. "That is the only man that I'll put ahead of me because this man, I feel like every single time he has been inside the cage he could just destroy his opponent however you want it."
Watch Johnson's "GOAT Mountain" video below.
