Demetrious Johnson Reveals UFC Pay Left Him “Gutted,” Praises Move To ONE Championship As “Best Decision”

The year 2018 marked a monumental moment in MMA history with a first-of-its-kind trade between the UFC and ONE Championship, as Demetrious Johnson joined the ONE roster in a trade that saw Ben Askren go to the UFC.

One of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Johnson recently retired from active competition as the reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion. The historic end to his legendary career came at ONE 168: Denver in September.

While talking to MMA Fighting, "Mighty Mouse" revealed that joining ONE Championship was the best decision he ever made and expressed his gratitude. Johnson made his ONE debut in 2019. Between then and 2024, he won the ONE Flyweight MMA World Grand Prix and ONE Flyweight MMA World Title.

"ONE Championship is the best thing that's ever happened to me. It was the best career decision I ever made. I am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to go to ONE Championship." Johnson said.

"Because I felt it was a time where ONE Championship were looking for a great American talent and it was [the] perfect opportunity. A company that values my morals and skill set. I love ONE Championship for it, and I'm still involved with ONE helping them build their brand and their fighters."

Johnson became the inaugural UFC Flyweight World Champion in 2012, defending his title 11 consecutive times. He defeated some of the promotions best fighters before losing his title against Henry Cejudo in a controversial decision in 2018.

A recent approval from a Nevada judge in one of the two UFC antitrust lawsuits revealed details about fighter pay and UFC's total revenue. Johnson expressed feeling gutted when discussing his UFC earnings.

"That time frame from 2011 all the way to 2017, I had 17 fights. I think 12 of them were World Championship fights and five of them weren't," Johnson said.

"So I did all the math. I did all that stuff, and I was like what the f*ck? That's all I made? I was in bed last night just doing the math. I was like god###n, I'm f##ing gutted. I was just gutted."