DJ: Where I am from you don’t talk $#!^

UFC featherweight champion Demetrious Johnson appeared recently on Submission Radio for a wide ranging interview. Johnson is the #2 best pound for pound fighter in the UFC, and put on a near perfect performance at UFC 186, securing a record-setting submission with one second to get. However, a noticeable number of asses in seats find his style uncompelling.

It’s hard but I don’t let it get to me,” said Johnson. “You know, I have a family, a beautiful wife and a life to be worrying about, [rather] than to let other people’s thoughts or comments get to me. At the end of the day you just gotta keep on doing what’s best for you and that’s being positive and surrounding yourself with very positive people, and that’s what keeps me motivated and keeps me going.

It comes and goes. I mean it doesn’t matter if I was a champion or not, negativity is always going to be there. Depending on my status in the sport doesn’t make it easier to deal with it, it’s just the type of person I am and the people I surround myself with. Because you know, they all see me as Demetrious Johnson; which is the kid who grew up in Kirkland and who’s just trying to make it in the world today. That’s how I surround myself with positive people. So I don’t hear that stuff. The only time I hear the negative stuff or people having to talk about it is during the media interviews and if I snoop online. But other than that, in my day to day life I don’t hear the negativity at all.

Johnson also touched on the biggest stories of the month, including the inescapable – the stripping of Jon Jones light heavyweight championship after his arrest for felony leaving the scene of an accident.

When I first heard the news I couldn’t believe it,” said Johnson. “Just because it’s like … you know, Jon Jones hit and run, marijuana in the car, pregnant women, broken arm. And I was like, ‘well this can’t be good.’ So with that being said, it’s a very unfortunate situation. I obviously do think the UFC did the right thing. The UFC is probably one of the best organizations in the world when it comes to mixed martial arts, and it’s taking care of its athletes. And this hasn’t been the first time Jon Jones has been in trouble with the law.

“I mean let’s not forget, the man crashed the 400,000 dollar Bentley that the UFC bought him. You know I ain’t got a 400,000 dollar Bentley, but they bought him one and he crashed it. So I think they did the right thing by stripping him of his title, suspending him, and letting him take care of things that are important, which is him getting himself sober – 110 percent sober – and him focusing on life again and taking care of his family and leaving the drugs alone. So I think they did the right thing. I think with him trying to defend his title in more than a week, it just wouldn’t have helped him in that cause of trying to get healthy.

It is hard to too miss Conor McGregor in this sport.

I don’t think it’s an act, I don’t think it’s a front,” said Johnson. “I think he truly believes what he says, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s where he was raised and brought up from, that’s totally fine. Especially with Mayweather and Pacquiao. When Mayweather was training for the Olympics, he was still out there hustling. When he had a pendant from the Olympics, he was like ‘yo man, how much you want for this pendant right here?’ He was still hustling. Now that he’s an adult, he’s still hustling. So you can’t really say ‘oh he’s arrogant or a punk’ or something like that, because that’s how he’s been raised that way. The way I was raised was, we don’t talk s—, we don’t run our mouth and do that stuff; because where I come from, if you do that, you get beat up on the streets. So I’m an adult now and I still believe in that and it’s just not who I am.

Johnson also said not even a Conor McGregor type fighter could drag him into angry trash talk.

It would never be negative things towards to my opponent,” said Johnson. “It would be me just telling my true feelings, and like I said, I’m an adult. I’m not in high school anymore. Like when I hear people talking about that stuff and trash talking back and forth, you know – the Jose Aldo/Chad Mendes one, that kind of put a smile on my face when Jose Aldo got hurt, and then Chad said ‘Oh you’re scared,’ and then Jose was like ‘Oh well why don’t you give me some of those supplements you’ve been taking.’ And then [Chad responded with] ‘You can supplement these nuts’ and he posted a picture of his wrestling [certificate]. And that was kind of funny and back and forth, but for me I just don’t see how it’s gonna happen.

Johnson would have pulled some ninja stuff, if he were Aldo and McGregor snatched away his belt.

I would have done nothing because it wouldn’t have been my real belt,” he said. “My real belt never leaves the house. It’s in my office above my computer. So I would’ve just sat there and laughed and said ‘Well good for you, because it’s a fake replica belt, but at least that’s the closest you’ll get to it.'”

Lastly, Johnson discussed who’s next.

This is the UFC and I’m looking to fight the best fighters out there,” he said. “With that being said, it’s looking like John Dodson, but if Zach Makovsky gets past him it could be him. There’s a lot more great match ups coming up. Wilson Reis is taking on Jussier Formiga, we also got Chico Camus taking on Henry Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez also taking on John Moraga. So there’s a lot of key match ups that are going to happen, and anything could happen.

“Back in the past I was going to fight the winner of Ian McCall and John Lineker. Obviously something happened there. If I was the type of fighter that I got all my eggs in one basket and was like ‘Okay I’m fighting John Lineker,’ then I would have been not mentally prepared to be the best Demetrious Johnson on April 25th. But you know it’s whoever the UFC wants me to fight. Anything can happen in this sport, anybody can get injured training up to a fight. So I just keep my mind focused on myself, and when they give me that date, I just prepare to be the best Demetrious Johnson on that date.

I see the meeting (with Dodson) going very differently. Obviously I expect myself to come out with the victory, but it’s almost been what; maybe two years since we fought? And I’ve grown so much as an athlete and so has he. You know, him overcoming ACL surgery, and he’s going to have his first chance to come out here and fight a pretty tough opponent. But you know my game has evolved and I’ve been working on my ground game, my stand up game, and just my overall awareness. And I’ve been fighting guys that have been pretty tough, and I always tell people that it’s good for me to go the five rounds, because I’m pushing the whole entire time in those 5 rounds instead of landing that one-shot KO punch on somebody. It’s always good to have that too, but I think it’s better for a champion and an athlete to go those five rounds, and to endure and push and put a beating on somebody.

No. When I asked for a picture, he felt like he didn’t want to give me the time of day to be honest with you.