Reigning ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio might have missed out on the chance of fighting Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, so now he’s just using the American legend’s exit as a blueprint for his career.
Johnson bid farewell to the sport officially in a highly emotional announcement at ONE 168: Denver early this month, calling time on a decorated career that spanned almost two decades.
While he didn’t get to test his skills against the now-retired ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion, he’s happy for the man, nonetheless.
Like Johnson, he wants to walk away from the sport that he’s dedicated his entire life to on top and on his own terms.
“That’s the dream — to finish on top, and it’s a goal I share. I aspire to end my career on a high note as well,” Pacio stated.
“It’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to fight him. I always knew I would eventually move up to flyweight, and DJ was on my wish list. Now that he’s retired, I missed that chance, but I’m completely okay with it.”
Pacio shared how Johnson has always been one of the men he has looked up to in the sport, and it’s not just because of Johnson’s impeccable skills in the world of MMA.
More so than that, it’s how the 38-year-old has handled himself outside the arenas – no controversies, no performance-enhancing drugs allegations, no scathing personal trash-talking to sell a fight.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for DJ. He’s one of the fighters I’ve always looked up to, alongside Anderson Silva, who is my ultimate MMA idol,” he shared.
“DJ truly stands out as one of the best and has set a high standard for every athlete in the sport.”
While referring to Johnson as someone who’s done it all for his career, he’s still proud that the organization he’s made a name for himself gave the man who many consider as the greatest of all time a chance to dazzle inside the Circle.
With ONE, Johnson absorbed the first and only stoppage loss of his career in Adriano Moraes, while also facing stiff challenges from fellow flyweights like Danny Kingad, Tatsumitsu Wada, and Yuya Wakamatsu.
“It’s impressive that he came over to ONE Championship. Even though he didn’t win the World Title on his first attempt, he used that challenge to come back and become a champion here. You could say he’s achieved it all.”
