Demetrious Johnson is a name that makes hardcore fight fans get all misty-eyed and casuals scratch their heads. It’s weird. He’s arguably the most complete human being to ever step into a cage, yet he spent years fighting in front of half-empty arenas. If you look at the mighty mouse mma record, you see 25 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw.
Numbers are boring. They don't tell you about the time he suplexed a guy and caught his arm in mid-air before they even hit the ground.
That happened. Oct. 7, 2017. Poor Ray Borg.
People obsess over the 11 consecutive UFC title defenses. It was a record for a long time until Jon Jones eventually reclaimed that particular mountain. But the context matters. Johnson wasn't just beating guys; he was making elite professional killers look like they’d never taken a jiu-jitsu class in their lives.
Breaking down the Mighty Mouse MMA record: The UFC Era
When the UFC first opened the flyweight division in 2012, nobody really knew what to expect. They held a four-man tournament. Johnson drew with Ian McCall in the first leg—mostly because of a scoring error that skipped a "sudden victory" round—but he won the rematch. Then he beat Joseph Benavidez to become the inaugural king.
He stayed king for six years.
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Honestly, the dominance was almost bad for his career. He was so much better than everyone else that the fights started to feel predictable. You’ve got names on that resume like John Dodson (twice), Kyoji Horiguchi, and Henry Cejudo.
- Wins by Submission: 8
- Wins by KO/TKO: 5
- Decision Wins: 12
Wait, 12 decisions? Critics used to call him a "point fighter." That’s a total lie. If you actually watch the Horiguchi fight at UFC 186, he finished an armbar at 4:59 of the fifth round. Literally the last second of the entire fight. You don't do that if you're just trying to coast to a scorecard.
The end of his UFC run was... messy. He lost a split decision to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in 2018. Some people think he won. I think it was close enough that a draw wouldn't have been crazy. But that loss set the stage for the most "video game" trade in sports history: Johnson for Ben Askren.
The ONE Championship Chapter
Most legends go to "retirement" leagues to fade away. Johnson went to Asia and decided to fight in a Grand Prix.
He didn't just walk through it. He had to dig deep against guys like Tatsumitsu Wada and Danny Kingad. Then came the Adriano Moraes saga. In 2021, for the first time in his life, Demetrious got knocked out. A knee to the face while he was grounded—legal in ONE, illegal in the UFC.
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He didn't complain. He just went back to the gym.
He eventually got that win back with a flying knee of his own, which is basically the definition of poetic justice. By the time he officially hung up the gloves in September 2024 at ONE 168 in Denver, his legacy was bulletproof. He retired as a champion. How many guys actually get to do that? GSP? Khabib? It’s a short list.
What the record doesn't show
If you just glance at the mighty mouse mma record, you might miss his 135-pound run. Before he was the flyweight GOAT, he was fighting much bigger dudes. He fought Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title in 2011. Cruz is a giant compared to DJ.
Johnson lost that one, but he took the "Dominator" to a 25-minute track meet.
He also fought Brad Pickett in the WEC and lost a decision. Those early losses at bantamweight are the only reason his "total losses" column has a 4 in it. At 125 pounds, his only "real" loss is that razor-thin split to Cejudo and the first Moraes fight.
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Why he’s the technical GOAT
- Wrestling: He averaged over 3 takedowns per fight in the UFC.
- Striking: He has a 54% accuracy rate, which is wild for a guy who moves that fast.
- Versatility: He is the only fighter to have a "Submission of the Year" and a "Knockout of the Year" in major promotions.
The Ray Borg armbar is the one everyone talks about. They call it the "Mighty Wiz-Bar." It’s the kind of thing you try in practice and end up kicking your coach in the shin. Johnson did it in a world title fight.
Actionable Takeaways for Fight Fans
If you're trying to understand why the mighty mouse mma record is held in such high regard by experts, don't just look at the Sherdog page.
- Watch the Horiguchi Finish: Look at the clock. It teaches you about fighting until the literal last breath.
- Study the Cejudo Rematch: It’s a masterclass in low kicks and clinch work, even if he didn't get the nod.
- Check out the Rodtang Special Rules Fight: He survived a round of world-class Muay Thai against Rodtang Jitmuangnon before choking him out in the MMA round. It’s the ultimate proof of his "adapt or die" mindset.
The man basically completed MMA. He won the UFC belt, defended it a record number of times, moved to a different continent, won a tournament, won another belt, and then retired on his own terms while still being the best in the world.
He's currently busy winning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments as a brown/black belt. Because apparently, being the best ever in one sport wasn't enough.
To truly appreciate what he did, go back and watch the Wilson Reis fight from 2017. It was a 15-minute shutout where a world-class BJJ black belt couldn't even touch him. That's the real "Mighty Mouse" experience.
Total mastery.