Lionel Messi is a mythical figure in the sport of Soccer. He is one of the most elusive players on the pitch when he plays. Witnessing Messi play football, can be considered a joy for the eyes that very few players can provide. Recently, UFC commentator Joe Rogan revealed that Demetrious Johnson is the Lionel Messi of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
American computer scientist Lex Fridman appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), episode 1696. During their conversation, Lex brought up the topic of who is the better footballer between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Lex, Messi is by far the better footballer because of his movement on the feet.
When he asked Joe who was the Messi of MMA, without a second of hesitation, Joe named Mighty Mouse. Although Rogan puts the former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, into consideration, Demetrious Johnson is the clear favourite for the veteran comedian.
“Mighty Mouse (Demetrious Johnson). Mighty Mouse in his prime is the greatest I’ve ever seen… Nah, Anderson Silva was fantastic in his prime, no doubt about it. But, the only problem with Mighty Mouse is that he is in a weight class that’s very small. There’s not a lot of guys that weigh a 125lbs. So there’s not the same talent pool that Anderson Silva dealt with.”
“Anderson Silva dealt with much more danger in terms of one-punch strikers. But, you know the argument (that) could be made that Anderson Silva when he was at the top, was the greatest of all time. And then the argument could be made that Mighty Mouse is the greatest of all time. Mighty Mouse (would) just destroy people.”
Demetrious Johnson holds the record for most UFC title defences in a row
Demetrious Johnson is currently the ONE Championship flyweight champ. On August 27th, Johnson knocked out Adriano Moraes via a flying knee to win the belt. However, fans may remember the illustrious career that he had in the UFC. DJ beat Joseph Benavidez at UFC 152 via split decision in 2012 to win the inaugural UFC flyweight championship.
It was the beginning of a historic run that saw Johnson defend his UFC belt 11 times in a row! Considering the fact that Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones were all in their prime at the time and nobody could even come close to beating the record that DJ set, is an indictment of how special Mighty Mouse’s run really was.
However, it is not just the fact that he won the fights, DJ was popular for how dominant and flashy he was in the Octagon as well. His flying arm-bar submission of Kyoji Horiguchi remains the most impressive submission that UFC fans have ever witnessed. But, Demetrious Johnson never got the praise that he deserved because he did not fight at the heavier weight classes.
What is your thought on the matter? Do you think Joe Rogan is right to name Demetrious Johnson the GOAT of MMA? Let us know in the comments down below.