Demetrious Johnson is a former UFC flyweight champion. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. However, champions face losses too, and 'Mighty Mouse' just suffered a rare submission defeat at the 2024 IBJJF World Masters Championships.

Here is what happened:

Demetrious Johnson held gold as a brown belt in his previous appearance at the IBJJF World Championships. This time he stepped up to make his debut appearance as a black belt and fought four back-to-back matches. It was his final opponent, Tomoya Yanagisawa, who gave the MMA icon the taste of defeat. Yanagisawa executed an armbar attack early into the fight. However, 'Mighty Mouse' pushed through and almost turned the fight around.

The former UFC star almost made it past his opponent's guard but ultimately ended up in a submission and had to tap out. Despite the loss, Johnson's performance was highly commendable. On his YouTube channel, 'Mighty Mouse' addressed the loss. He said he definitely did more than he expected he would. The MMA star really wanted to just get one win in the division considering it was his third tournament.

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He also acknowledged his mistake stating he should have forced the takedown but pointed out how hard it was because it is more about strategy than athleticism on the mat. While he is not officially retired, Johnson mentioned that MMA is not a priority for him at the moment. Speaking on the JAXXON podcast, he explained that he has not been actively training in MMA. Instead, he has been focusing more on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and other personal interests.

Netizens react to Demetrious Johnson getting submitted at the 2024 IBJJF World Masters Championships

Demetrious Johnson's defeat, though disappointing, highlighted the high level of competition in the black belt category at BJJ. This is something that definitely excites the former flyweight world champion. The video of 'Mighty Mouse' getting submitted caught the attention of fans on social media. People went to the comment section to share their reactions on X:

People in the comment section had some interesting takes on 'Mighty Mouse' getting submitted in his debut fight. Some wrote that the thirteen-time flyweight world champion was somehow 'washed'. Others commented that he should fight at 'No-Gi' instead. Johnson's last MMA fight was a victory over Adriano Moraes in May 2023.

For now, he is enjoying a break from the sport and exploring other avenues within martial arts and beyond. The 38-year-old has a sprawling YouTube channel with over 710K subscribers. It will be interesting to see who 'Mighty Mouse' steps in the octagon next before a potential retirement.

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Neial N Bhuyan is a boxing/MMA writer at FirstSportz. He has been a MMA journalist since 2023 and has published over 1300 articles. Neial has extensively covered multiple UFC title fights and crossover boxing matches for FirstSportz. He has invested over half a decade of his life in writing and the exciting prospect of mixed martial arts and boxing has enriched his life and helped him resonate with the millions of MMA fans worldwide through his writing. Neial himself has ventured into the world of boxing ever since he started writing about combat sports. The rich culture and cerebral nature of the game have helped him better understand the multiple nuances and intricate details of the sport. He has also invested time exploring the lives of the incredible athletes who have dedicated themselves to MMA and boxing. This in turn has helped Neial better present the rich culture and spirit of mixed martial arts and boxing to the world.