Monumental MMA trade’s real effect on $11.3 billion valued company revealed
Demetrious Johnson discusses his trade to ONE Championship, which led him to leave the UFC and welcome Ben Askren into the UFC.
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Demetrious Johnson tallks about his and Ben Askren's swap deal (Image via Imago/X)
UFC is undoubtedly one of the standout MMA promotions in the world. Over the years, the promotion has earned a significant amount of profits through various deals and trades. One such trade involved the first UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. As such, he was swapped with rising ONE championship fighter Ben Askren.
The trade agreement came to light in 2018 after Demetrious Johnson lost to Henry Cejudo. Ben Askren was at the top of the ONE Championship. UFC CEO Dana White saw that and recognized an opportunity to add a potential superstar to his roster. Recently, Johnson acknowledged that the UFC benefited from this arrangement. He also stated that ONE Championship gained advantages from the swap as well.
When you look at just money wise, I think the UFC won because of how much more money they were able to generate and quote, unquote from Dana White and those guys, I wasn’t making them any money, but I think the sheer of just the f*cking horse that ONE Championship got.
Demetrious Johnson via The Ariel Helwani Show
Demetrious Johnson also stated that he could still fight if he wanted to. On the contrary, Johnson highlighted that Ben Askren cannot. After joining UFC, Askren quickly made a name for himself by securing a submission victory over seasoned veteran Robbie Lawler. However, the tide turned when he faced UFC star Jorge Masvidal. There was significant hype leading up to this fight, but Askren suffered one of the most humiliating defeats of his career.
?Demetrious Johnson weighs in on who won the trade deal that sent him to ONE Championship and brought Ben Askren to the UFC:
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 16, 2024
"Money wise I think the UFC won because of how much more money they were able to generate…but I think just the sheer of the f#cking horse that ONE… pic.twitter.com/z5tD0It2fT
Jorge Masvidal delivered one of the most electrifying knockouts in UFC history with a flying knee that left Askren defenseless. Following this defeat, Askren was decisively choked out by Demian Maia. He then faced YouTube star Jake Paul in a boxing match, where he once again suffered a one-sided beatdown. In contrast, Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson had an illustrious career in the ONE Championship.
Former ONE FC champion talks about Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious Johnson had an impressive run in the ONE Championship, achieving five victories out of six fights. During this time, he was crowned the flyweight champion. Some of Johnson’s notable wins include two fights against Adriano Moraes, whom he defeated after initially losing to him. Recently, Moraes shared his thoughts about Mighty Mouse.
Adriano Moraes is one of the biggest stars in the ONE Championship. Over his decade-long career, he has established a remarkable reputation through his exceptional performance in promotions. However, his recent record has been less impressive. A significant factor contributing to this is his consecutive defeats against Johnson. Recently, Moraes reflected on those losses.
I was winning the fight but I got caught in the fourth round. It was crazy, it was the biggest defeat of my career. But it was against one of the greatest of all time…
Adriano Moraes via Party Starter Radio
Demetrious Johnson had an illustrious MMA career. Recently, he announced his retirement from the sport and is now enjoying his time away from competitive fighting. However, he occasionally still competes in grappling competitions, and fight fans are always excited to see him in action.
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Nilaav Gogoi
(526 Articles Published)