Demetrious Johnson (fighter)
Encyclopedia
Demetrious Johnson is an American
mixed martial artist
, who competes as a bantamweight
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
. Johnson is ranked among the top ten bantamweights in the world by leading mixed martial arts publications. As of October 2011, Johnson is ranked the #6 bantamweight in the world by Sherdog
.
where he attended Washington High School and was a stand out athlete in both track and wrestling. In wrestling, he would go on to place 3rd and 2nd in state his junior and senior year.
debut against Brad Pickett
on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48
in Sacramento, California. Johnson showed good kickboxing throughout, but was unable to defend the many takedowns executed by Pickett. Johnson lost via unanimous decision, though Joe Rogan
stated his belief during the fight, that should the WEC implement a flyweight division (125 lbs), that Johnson would be highly effective, as his size gave him a disadvantage in the bantamweight division.
Johnson was expected to face Clint Godfrey
on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51
. However, Godfrey was forced off the card and replaced by WEC newcomer Nick Pace
. Johnson defeated Pace via unanimous decision, to hand Pace his 1st ever MMA loss.
Johnson defeated Damacio Page
via third round submission on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52
. After Page controlled the action in the first round, Johnson was able to dicate the action for most of the second and third rounds before submitting the visibly tired Page via guillotine choke.
merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Johnson faced Japanese superstar Norifumi Yamamoto
on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126
in his UFC debut, Johnson utilized take downs in round 1 and 2, controlling Yamamoto throughout the fight, and being rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.
Johnson was scheduled to face Renan Barão
on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130
. However, Johnson faced Miguel Torres
after Torres' opponent, Brad Pickett
was forced off the card with an injury. Despite breaking his fibula early in the second round from a checked leg kick, Johnson used his superior wrestling to control Torres and won a 29-28 unanimous decision victory, even though Demetrious was swept into full mount a record breaking 6 times during the fight.
Johnson fought Dominick Cruz
on October 1, 2011 at UFC on Versus 6 for the UFC bantamweight title, losing by unanimous decision.
Johnson is expected to face Eddie Wineland
on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox 2
|Loss
|align=center|9-2
|Dominick Cruz
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson
|
|align=center|5
|align=center|5:00
| Washington D.C.
| For UFC Bantamweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-1
| Miguel Torres
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 130: Jackson vs. Hamill
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-1
| Norifumi Yamamoto
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 126: Silva vs Belfort
|
|align=center|3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-1
| Damacio Page
|Submission (guillotine choke)
|WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|2:27
| Las Vegas, Nevada
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-1
| Nick Pace
|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Broomfield, Colorado
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|5-1
| Brad Pickett
|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Sacramento, California
|WEC Debut
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-0
| Jesse Brock
|KO (head kick)
|AFC 68
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:06
| Anchorage, Alaska
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-0
| Frankie Mendez
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|King of the Cage: Thunderstruck
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:38
| Everett, Washington
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-0
| Louie Contreras
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Genesis: Rise of Kings
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
| Shoreline, Washington
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-0
| Forrest Seabourn
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Genesis: Cold War
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center|N/A
| Bellevue, Washington
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
| Pedro Mercado
|TKO (punches)
|King of the Cage: No Holds Barred
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:25
| Porterville, California
|
|-
|}
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
, who competes as a bantamweight
Bantamweight (MMA)
The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...
in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
. Johnson is ranked among the top ten bantamweights in the world by leading mixed martial arts publications. As of October 2011, Johnson is ranked the #6 bantamweight in the world by Sherdog
Sherdog
Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...
.
Early years
Johnson grew up in Parkland, WashingtonParkland, Washington
Parkland is a census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,053 at the 2000 census and grew to 35,803 as of the 2010 census...
where he attended Washington High School and was a stand out athlete in both track and wrestling. In wrestling, he would go on to place 3rd and 2nd in state his junior and senior year.
Early career
Johnson began his career in the King of the Cage promotion and won his professional debut via TKO. Johnson then appeared on multiple local shows and won four fights in a row via submission. Johnson fought at the Alaska Fighting Championships in Anchorage and won via KO (head kick), which earned him a deal with the WEC.World Extreme Cagefighting
He made his World Extreme CagefightingWorld Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
debut against Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett is an English mixed martial artist and the former Cage Rage British Featherweight champion and Ultimate Challenge MMA Featherweight Champion. He currently competes as a Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
in Sacramento, California. Johnson showed good kickboxing throughout, but was unable to defend the many takedowns executed by Pickett. Johnson lost via unanimous decision, though Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan
Joseph James "Joe" Rogan is an American comedian, video blogger, actor, writer, podcaster, and martial artist. He is best known for his work on NewsRadio, his work as color commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and his hosting work on Fear Factor.-Acting:In 1994, Rogan co-starred on...
stated his belief during the fight, that should the WEC implement a flyweight division (125 lbs), that Johnson would be highly effective, as his size gave him a disadvantage in the bantamweight division.
Johnson was expected to face Clint Godfrey
Clint Godfrey
Clint Godfrey is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights in WEC's bantamweight division.Godfrey was defeated in his WEC debut against former International Fight League featherweight champion Wagnney Fabiano at WEC 46...
on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51
WEC 51
WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was the first that the WEC hosted in Colorado.-Background:...
. However, Godfrey was forced off the card and replaced by WEC newcomer Nick Pace
Nick Pace
Nick Pace is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Pace mostly fought in the Ring of Combat promotion where he was the reigning and inaugural Ring of Combat Bantamweight champion until he signed with World...
. Johnson defeated Pace via unanimous decision, to hand Pace his 1st ever MMA loss.
Johnson defeated Damacio Page
Damacio Page
Damacio James Page is an American mixed martial arts fighter and who currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
via third round submission on November 11, 2010 at WEC 52
WEC 52
WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
. After Page controlled the action in the first round, Johnson was able to dicate the action for most of the second and third rounds before submitting the visibly tired Page via guillotine choke.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme CagefightingWorld Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Johnson faced Japanese superstar Norifumi Yamamoto
Norifumi Yamamoto
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is associated with Purebred Tokyo and Krazy Bee. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona...
on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126
UFC 126
UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
in his UFC debut, Johnson utilized take downs in round 1 and 2, controlling Yamamoto throughout the fight, and being rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.
Johnson was scheduled to face Renan Barão
Renan Barão
Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado, known as Renan Barão , is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
on May 28, 2011 at UFC 130
UFC 130
UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...
. However, Johnson faced Miguel Torres
Miguel Torres (fighter)
Miguel Angel Torres is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown...
after Torres' opponent, Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett is an English mixed martial artist and the former Cage Rage British Featherweight champion and Ultimate Challenge MMA Featherweight Champion. He currently competes as a Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
was forced off the card with an injury. Despite breaking his fibula early in the second round from a checked leg kick, Johnson used his superior wrestling to control Torres and won a 29-28 unanimous decision victory, even though Demetrious was swept into full mount a record breaking 6 times during the fight.
Johnson fought Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, who competes as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion...
on October 1, 2011 at UFC on Versus 6 for the UFC bantamweight title, losing by unanimous decision.
Johnson is expected to face Eddie Wineland
Eddie Wineland
Eddie Wineland is an American professional mixed martial artist from Highland, Indiana who fights in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Wineland is a former World Extreme Cagefighting Bantamweight Champion...
on January 28, 2012 at UFC on Fox 2
UFC on Fox 2
UFC on Fox 2 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While not officially announced by the organization, the event is expected to take place on January 28, 2012 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois....
Mixed martial arts record
|-|Loss
|align=center|9-2
|Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is an American mixed martial artist of Mexican descent, who competes as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion...
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson
UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson
UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 1, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.-Background:...
|
|align=center|5
|align=center|5:00
| Washington D.C.
| For UFC Bantamweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|9-1
| Miguel Torres
Miguel Torres (fighter)
Miguel Angel Torres is an American mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown...
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 130: Jackson vs. Hamill
UFC 130
UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8-1
| Norifumi Yamamoto
Norifumi Yamamoto
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is associated with Purebred Tokyo and Krazy Bee. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona...
|Decision (unanimous)
|UFC 126: Silva vs Belfort
UFC 126
UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|7-1
| Damacio Page
Damacio Page
Damacio James Page is an American mixed martial arts fighter and who currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
|Submission (guillotine choke)
|WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki
WEC 52
WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on November 11, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|2:27
| Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6-1
| Nick Pace
Nick Pace
Nick Pace is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Pace mostly fought in the Ring of Combat promotion where he was the reigning and inaugural Ring of Combat Bantamweight champion until he signed with World...
|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan
WEC 51
WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on September 30, 2010 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. The event was the first that the WEC hosted in Colorado.-Background:...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Broomfield, Colorado
Broomfield, Colorado
The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|5-1
| Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett
Brad Pickett is an English mixed martial artist and the former Cage Rage British Featherweight champion and Ultimate Challenge MMA Featherweight Champion. He currently competes as a Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
|Decision (unanimous)
|WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber
WEC 48
UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
| Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
|WEC Debut
|-
|Win
|align=center|5-0
| Jesse Brock
|KO (head kick)
|AFC 68
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:06
| Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4-0
| Frankie Mendez
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|King of the Cage: Thunderstruck
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|4:38
| Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3-0
| Louie Contreras
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Genesis: Rise of Kings
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
| Shoreline, Washington
Shoreline, Washington
Shoreline is a city in King County, Washington, United States, north of Downtown Seattle bordering the northern Seattle city limits. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,007, making it the 19th largest city in the state of Washington....
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2-0
| Forrest Seabourn
|Submission (rear naked choke)
|Genesis: Cold War
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center|N/A
| Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1-0
| Pedro Mercado
|TKO (punches)
|King of the Cage: No Holds Barred
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|1:25
| Porterville, California
Porterville, California
Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...
|
|-
|}