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Demetrious Johnson praises respect culture in ONE Championship
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Rodtang Jitmuangnon raises Demetrious Johnson’s hand after their mixed rules fight at ONE X on March 26. (ONE Championship)
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emetrious Johnson has praised the mutual respect that fighters show in ONE Championship, something that sets the organization apart from other martial arts promotions.
While the fighting business is often synonymous with trash talk or violence, the Singapore-based promotion offers a different showcase that stems from deep-rooted Asian values.
Johnson, who has the most title defenses in the history of United States-based UFC with 11, has recently talked about the cultural differences in ONE on the MMA Hour Podcast. He revealed that after the circle is far behind them, all of the fighters leave their animosity within the cage and interact with their former opponents with respect and regard.
He revealed that after the ONE X event, where he defeated Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon via a second-round rear-naked choke in their mixed-rules special-fight on March 26, all of the athletes that fought in the card went and greeted each other without any bitterness after their performances. He even saw Angela Lee consoling her former cage opponent, Stamp Fairtex.
“[I saw] Adriano [Moraes] say to Stamp, ‘this time you get to learn from your loss’ and that is what I love in ONE,” he explained. “Every one of the athletes is very chill, I share the backstage with Rodtang, and I even get a chance to talk to him after the fight.”
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The flyweight star, who is widely believed to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, said that every athlete in the ONE Championship roster is a consummate professional who does not let the adrenaline, or the bad blood of the fight affect their interaction with each other.
“Mighty Mouse” said that former rivals can say “hi” to their opponents and leave the event venue on good terms without any long-lasting animosity.
“I got the chance to talk to Yuya [Wakamatsu], I talked with Adriano, and all of us were pretty chill then, we didn’t have any hate to one another,” he said. “I certainly won’t be going to the restaurant my former opponent’s eating in and try to beat him up.”
The MMA icon also teases that he is planning on returning to the circle later in the year, but he specified that it would not be a World Title bout, as he believes that he needs to earn the chance to challenge the Champ through beating several opponents before meeting Moraes in a rematch.
Watch ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22 at ONE Super App and subscribe to ONE Championship on YouTube!
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship
