Outside Source
Van (16-2) won the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja via a freak injury at UFC 323 this past December. “The Fearless” had sparked controversy in the lead-up to the fight by labellng Pantoja the greatest flyweight of all time. Fans instantly brought up Demetrious Johnson (25-4), who is widely considered not only the greatest flyweight, but arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Van later explained that he hadn’t watched much of Johnson’s fights and grew up watching Pantoja.
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Not a Historian
Van recently revealed that he wasn’t even aware that Johnson was in the UFC. The UFC flyweight champion only knew of “Mighty Mouse” from highlights of his viral flyweight knee knockout over Adriano Moraes.
“I swear to God, I didn’t know he was in the UFC,” Van said on the “Jaxxon Podcast.” “I saw him fighting in ONE Championship. His highlight was everywhere when he knocked out the guy with flying knee… Now I know him but I’ve never watched his fights.”
Johnson defended the UFC flyweight title 11 times before losing it to Henry Cejudo in 2018. Johnson was surprisingly traded to ONE Championship following the loss in exchange for Ben Askren. Johnson went on to have an illustrious career in ONE Championship, where he became the flyweight champion. Johnson officially hung up his gloves in 2024 and became the first ONE Championship Hall of Fame member.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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