ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson (24-4-1) could see himself in the commentary booth one day, but not before he defends his crown on May 5.
That night, “Mighty Mouse” will face former divisional kingpin Adriano Moraes (20-4) for the third time in the ONE Fight Night 10 headliner at 1STBANK Center in Colorado.
Johnson dipped his toe into the commentary waters at ONE Fight Night 6 this past January. And the 36-year-old MMA legend could see himself reprising the role in the future, but perhaps as more of an analyst.
“It’s something I would love to do in the future. I think the hardest thing is I don’t like to study. I kind of like to break down fights as they’re going, I think that’s where you get the raw opinion of what’s going on,” he said.
“I think that’d be the hardest part for me to overcome, the challenge I would have faced if I wanted to be a full-time commentator and traveling.”
Johnson has a resume that is almost unparalleled in the sport.
In addition to his current reign as ONE Championship’s flyweight king, “Mighty Mouse” is a 12-time UFC flyweight champion. He has also created many standout memories over the years, so his highlight reel of finishes will live long in MMA history.
With all of that experience across his storied 36-fight career, the American superstar feels that he is in a unique position to be able to bring the best insight when he’s in the booth.
“I think one thing that gives me an upper hand on some of the commentators is that I’m still active. Obviously, when I transition into that role from fighting, I have the mindset that has been in the fire,” he said.
“I mean, Rich Franklin (is a former) world champion, Mitch Chilson is also a high-level competitor in mixed martial arts. But if you look at our resumes, I would say mine far exceeds both of those guys, but they also have commentated a lot more than me and watched way more fights. I just bring a different eyeball to the table.”
With Johnson ringside at ONE Fight Night 6, Chingiz Allazov shocked the world when he dramatically knocked out ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn in the main event for the gold.
Using that bout as an example, Johnson explains that – as an active fighter – he can read the approach of the fighters in real-time in a way that most commentators cannot.
“(Other commentators) can talk to Chingiz and the guys (and say), ‘Hey, what’s your gameplan this weekend?’” he said, for example.
“I would say (during the fight), ‘OK, Chingiz’s gameplan is to get right on Superbon. Right now, he’s not giving Superbon the chance to set up. Chingiz is on him all damn day long.’ And then boom! That’s why it ended with a knockout. I didn’t need to talk to Chingiz to figure that out.”
