30 greatest UFC fighters of all time [UPDATED]
4. Demetrious Johnson
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson ruled the flyweight division in the UFC for six years before being traded for Ben Askren. Yes, you read that right. Johnson would end his UFC tenure with a 15-2-1 record and nine performance bonuses.
Johnson started in the bantamweight division with WEC before the UFC merger, going 2-1 while losing to Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title. In 2013, the flyweight division was created with a tournament being held, in which Johnson beat Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez to become the inaugural champion.
Johnson would go on to defend his title for a UFC record 11 times, being the second longest-tenured champion in the organization’s history, behind Anderson Silva. Johnson holds wins over John Dodson, John Moraga, Benavidez, Ali Bagautinov, former RIZIN champion Kyogi Horiguchi (a fight in which he tied the record for the latest finish in UFC history), Henry Cejudo, Tim Elliott, Wilson Reis, and Ray Borg.
In 2018, Johnson faced Cejudo in a rematch and lost by a split decision, shortly after, he was traded to ONE Championship where he continues his dominant ways. Johnson went 12-2 in title fights, holds the record for most flyweight finishes with seven, holds the record for most takedowns in UFC Flyweight history, and is the only fighter to land 10 takedowns in three different fights. Johnson will no doubt be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame at some point.