MONTREAL – UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is one of the best fighters on the planet, but he’s fighting an uphill battle to get recognition as a “star” in the mainstream.
While Johnson (22-2-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) was able to pull off a last-second, record setting armbarsubmission of Kyoji Horiguchi (15-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 186, some of the fans in the crowd at Bell Centre in Montreal started walking out after the fourth round – no doubt believing the fight to be in the bag for Johnson.
UFC President Dana White said he didn’t pay attention to fans who left early.
“I didn’t notice,” White told MMAjunkie at the post-event news conference. “I don’t give a sh-t what people are doing. I’m watching the fight.”
If fans were walking out early because they were bored with Johnson’s style, they missed history and a great finish. And White said his flyweight champion eventually will have the type of fan base that will want to stay till the end – if he keeps doing what he’s doing.
“It’s kind of sad that Demetrious Johnson has this thing hanging over his head that he’s not this, he’s not that,” White told MMAjunkie. “If you understand anything about mixed martial arts and you watch what’s going on there tonight against a tough guy like Horiguchi who can knock you out at any time and has great wrestling, what Demetrious Johnson was able to do in that fight and literally break him down the whole fight (was impressive). Then he goes for the armbar at the end. His cardio is unbelievable. His speed – like (UFC commentator Joe) Rogan always says, he’s the fastest guy in the sport. And he is technically perfect.
Hey, fans – Dana White doesn’t give a sh-t if you walked out on UFC 186 main event | MMAjunkie
