Rankings Shakeup: Demetrious Johnson vaults over UFC champions, reclaims No. 1 flyweight spot

Demetrious Johnson is once again a champion — and once again the No. 1 flyweight in the world.

With a typically fantastic and surprisingly poetic performance, “Mighty Mouse” knocked out Adriano Moraes with a highlight-reel knockout knee this past Saturday at ONE on Prime Video 1 to claim the ONE Championship flyweight title. It avenged the lone knockout loss of his career, and reclaims his spot at the top of the flyweight mountain.

Johnson adds the ONE belt to a list of accolades that includes a previous run as the most dominant champion in UFC history, a moment that prompted Johnson to leapfrog over UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo and interim UFC champion Brandon Moreno to reclaim the top spot on the latest voting round for the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

The decision should come as little surprise given Johnson’s unmatched accomplishments over the past decade. He has now lost just twice since 2012, to Moraes (a series that now stands at 1-1) and to Henry Cejudo (who Johnson defeated by first-round knockout in their first meeting), and his time with ONE also includes winning a flyweight grand prix tournament in 2019 and an entertaining special rules bout victory over Muay Thai star Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

The vote was not unanimous however, with six panelists restoring Johnson to the No. 1 spot and the other two No. 1 votes going to Figueiredo and Moreno. A case could be made that the two UFC titleholders have faced stronger competition inside the octagon than Johnson has in the ONE arena, but given the emphatic statement Johnson just made in Singapore and his decorated history, there is no denying him his throne for now.

Do you agree with Johnson’s new ranking? Should he have been above his UFC counterparts all along? Or should Figueiredo still be No. 1?

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