Demetrious Johnson Ranks Himself Second on MMA GOAT List

Demetrious Johnson believes his accomplishments are more than enough to place him among mixed martial arts’ all-time elite.

“Mighty Mouse” ranked himself No. 2 on his own personal GOAT list, behind only current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

“For my No. 1, I have Jon ‘Bones’ Jones. 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,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “He also has wins by knockout, putting people to sleep, decisions, everything on the list.”

Meanwhile, Johnson ranked Georges St. Pierre at No. 3 and Anderson Silva at 4. The former UFC flyweight champion and ONE Championship 135-pound king explained his logic for ranking himself second.

“Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division,” Johnson said. “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.”

Johnson pointed to his track record in UFC title bouts, which included a number of finishes during his streak of 11 consecutive defenses, as another reason he deserves to be ahead of the likes of Silva and St. Pierre. He also captured gold while fighting in a larger weight class in ONE and has proven himself on the mats in a grappling tournament.

“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—-ing 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.”

Johnson last appeared at ONE on Prime Video 10, where he successfully defended his flyweight (135-pound) title with a decision win against Adriano Moraes in their trilogy bout. His MMA future is currently unclear because prior to that bout, “Mighty Mouse” admitted that it could be the last of his career.