Johnson a fighter anyone can get behind

UFC flyweight (125 pounds) champion “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson recently declared that he is “the best champion to stand in the octagon.”

That’s not hard to argue — and I’m not saying that because of his fight last Saturday with Brazilian challenger Wilson Reis. Late in the third round of their fight, Johnson took Reis to the ground and managed to get side control before transitioning to the full mount and locking in an armbar to submit his opponent.

The reason that Johnson’s bold proclamation is not necessarily false is because he has now tied the record for most UFC title defenses with 10. The only other fighter to boast that claim is former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who accomplished the feat in July 2012 — two months before Johnson began his run as UFC flyweight champion. Of the UFC’s 11 champions, Johnson is the only fighter to have held his belt for more than two years. But Johnson doesn’t want to stop at 10 title defenses. During a post-fight interview, he said “next time we’re in the octagon, I’m going to break it,” referring to the record.

I first watched Johnson fight in 2010 when he was under contract for World Extreme Cagefighting. One of his highlight performances was against Damacio Page, who he submitted with a guillotine choke. Like many longtime fight fans, I was thrilled when he signed his UFC contract in 2011 and defeated the highly touted Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto in his octagon debut.

Despite an impressive fight resume, which includes a record of 26 wins, two losses and a draw, a fighter like Johnson can sometimes fly under the radar with casual fans. While Johnson is the quickest and most technically skilled fighter in the UFC, he competes in a weight class that does not get a lot of attention from fans or the media. In an interview with “The Three Amigos” podcast, Johnson said the flyweight division’s lack of popularity is partly due to the weight class having no drama or jerks — he used a different word besides jerks, but this is a family paper.

Johnson singled out the light heavyweight division, which he said is “pretty thin” in terms of talent, but the weight class gets a lot of love from the media because of former champion Jon Jones, who has garnered a lot of attention because of his legal issues and bad blood with current champion Daniel Cormier.

In mixed martial arts, the most coverage goes to the loudest and most controversial personalities while an athlete who doesn’t make as much noise has to work harder for publicity. Aside from his earlier proclamation, Johnson isn’t someone who verbally thrashes his opponents at a press conference or social media on a regular basis. He’s a fighter who likes to — as he puts it — “go in there and do my job, then I go home and take care of my family.”

Some critics might call a fighter like Johnson boring when they compare him to MMA’s more outlandish personalities like Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey. On the other hand, Johnson is an athlete that fans, who prefer skill over trash talking, like and in some cases relate to.

One thing I admire about Johnson is he’s someone who is serious about mastering his craft. After his win against, Johnson apparently went to his coach, Matt Hume, and asked “what did I do wrong?” I don’t know what Hume’s response was to Johnson, but if it were me, I probably would have said “nothing Demetrious, you did just fine.”

If my mother or my friends who don’t watch a lot of mixed martial arts asked me me “Al, who’s a fighter I should watch?” Johnson would be one of the first names I would respond with. More importantly, if I have a son or daughter who wants to compete in MMA when they’re older, I would tell them to watch Johnson, emulate his skills and work ethic, and if they have the opportunity, go to him for advice.

Years from now people may not remember Johnson as the most exciting fighter in UFC history, but he will certainly be one of the most successful athletes to have ever fought in the octagon.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].