Det kan vara ett givande att ta råd från pound-pound bästa fightern på planeten, Demetrious ”Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Han vill se yngre fighters ta mindre risker inne buren genom att tävla ”smart”. För Johnson betyder det att ens karriär kan leva mycket längre än om du har krig i oktagonen varje gång du kliver in. Genom MMAFighting sade flugviktskungen följande.
So it’s like, ‘Eh, do I want to do this? Eh, no, let’s just change elevation and take him down and look for the big shot when I get the opportunity.’ So that’s how I think about mixed martial arts. Now, if we were in the gym sparring, then I should’ve been able to light him up on the feet and exchange more. But when you have those three-ounce gloves on, why take the risk?
I mean, I saw Bobby Green and Lando Vannata (at UFC 216), and everybody in the back was like, ‘Oh, man, that’s a sick fight!’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, look at his face, that cannot be good for his brain. I’m just honest. I think [Vannata] is an amazing fighter, he has a great game, he comes forward, does a good job mixing it up, great power. But for me, if I was his coach, I’d be like, ‘Dude, you need to work on your wrestling. We need to work on your clinch game. We need to work on not taking so much damage, because I want you to have a long career.’
When you’re done fighting, I don’t want to look back at your fights and be like, ‘Oh man, you were such a sick-ass fighter, you did this and this.’ I want to look back at your career and be like, ‘Man, you did such a good job of not taking any damage, and look, you have something to show for it. You have a 15-year career, instead of a short three or four years because of all the concussions you’ve taken. So that’s my whole thing. But those two fighters, amazing. I told Bobby Green, I was like, ‘Damn, dog, you go have that five-piece chicken meal. I was worried about you. You’ve got to duck and move and do some wrestling, homie.
Johnson blev historisk under UFC 216 när han besegrade Ray Borg genom armbar i den femte ronden. Vinsten cementerade Johnsons 13:e raka seger och 11:e raka titelförsvaret, Johnson slog därmed Anderson Silvas rekord för flest titelförsvar på raken.
