MMA fighter Demetrious Johnson has named himself as the second greatest MMA fighter of all time, behind Jon Jones, but ahead of Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, citing his record of 11 consecutive title defenses and his ability to transition into different fighting styles as reasons for his high ranking.
Demetrious Johnson isn’t shy, he considers himself one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. But how high does he rank himself?
On his YouTube channel, “Mighty Mouse” presented his list of the four best fighters ever. He placed himself just short of the top spot. “At No. 2, you have yours truly, moi, Demetrious Johnson,” he said. He boasts of his unique achievements in the flyweight division.
“Nobody has been able to do what I’ve been able to do in the flyweight division or in any division,” Johnson claimed. He mentioned his eleven consecutive title defenses and a new move he created. He credits Matt Hume for helping him learn that move.
Just behind Johnson on his list are longtime UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva. They hold the No. 3 and No. 4 spots respectively. Johnson believes he has an edge over Silva because he was more willing to aggressively mix martial arts in pursuit of a finish.
He compared his prime self to Silva’s UFC 97 opponent, Thales Leites. “Let me tell you what, if you have prime Demetrious Johnson, and 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. He expressed his confidence in his jiu-jitsu skills.
Silva defeated Leites via a forgettable unanimous decision. This was one lowlight in a career filled with some of the most memorable finishes in MMA history. Johnson, currently No. 7 on MMA Fighting’s Pound-for-Pound list, has many of his peers beat in the category of championship finishes.
He finished seven of his UFC-record 11 straight title defenses. Johnson feels this killer instinct puts him above not just Silva, but also St-Pierre. St-Pierre was a dominant welterweight champion who often went to the scorecards.
“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. He also mentioned his wins in a different organization where he fought bigger opponents and a different rule set.
“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,” Johnson added. He usually doesn’t put himself above people, but he made an exception for this discussion.
It’s only current UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones that Johnson puts ahead of him on his GOAT list. Jones has reigned over the light heavyweight division for years with wins over a number of marquee names and has yet 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.”
You can watch Johnson’s “GOAT Mountain” video below.