Josh Thomson might see the purpose that Demetrious Johnson was making an attempt to make when he lately claimed that MMA is the simplest fight sport to develop into a champion in, however the UFC veteran does suppose that “Mighty Mouse” had a noticeable flaw in his argument.
Johnson was the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion and held the title for practically six years earlier than dropping to Henry Cejudo of their rematch at UFC 227. “Mighty Mouse” has gone on to have super success with ONE Championship, the place he’s at present the promotion’s 135-pound titleholder.
The 37-year-old has additionally established a profitable YouTube channel outdoors of his combating profession, and Thomson determined to sort out one in all Johnson’s latest movies together with his co-host John McCarthy on an episode of their very own present Weighing In.
“There are holes in folks’s video games in MMA as a result of there’s so many various kinds of martial arts,” Thomson mentioned. “And [Johnson] is appropriate in that space. However the place I’m gonna attempt to decide this aside a bit – and I really like DJ, and I perceive what he’s making an attempt to say.
Utilizing Brock [Lesnar] and utilizing Alex [Pereira] for example – and I’m gonna use him for example as effectively – you simply picked the three weakest weight lessons in the entire sport.”
Josh Thomson Considers Demetrious Johnson’s Dominant Reign As UFC Champion
The dearth of depth within the UFC’s heavier divisions is one thing that followers have commented on for years, nevertheless Thomson went on to level out that Johnson was seemingly ranges above among the competitors he confronted as UFC champion.
“Heavyweights, 205 pounders and 125 pounders are the weakest weight class. There’s not lots of them on the market which might be good. Which can be good and well-rounded.
DJ, that’s why he’s so rattling good. That’s why he’s such a freak, is ‘trigger he’s so good all over the place. He’s good on the toes, he’s acquired good wrestling, he’s extraordinarily dynamic and quick. His struggle IQ is f***ing in all probability the most effective within the sport we’ve ever seen. He is an excellent fighter. No person else is on his degree, and there’s not lots of them at 125.”
There was a short interval the place it regarded just like the UFC was going to close down your entire flyweight division after Johnson had defeated many of the prime challengers accessible, however the epic collection of fights between former champions Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo helped to reinvigorate the promotion’s curiosity within the weight class over the previous few years.
Even when Thomson does have a legitimate level about Johnson’s alternative of weight lessons, it’s value noting that “Mighty Mouse” particularly cited boxing when contemplating whether or not it was simpler to develop into a champion in MMA. Johnson does not appear eager about making an attempt it himself, however various high-profile MMA fighters have discovered that leaping over to boxing is not as simple a transition as they might have anticipated.
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