Demetrious Johnson points out one of his UFC records he believes will never be broken

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes one of his greatest achievements is unchangeable.

Demetrious Johnson has accomplished many feats during his illustrious career in the cage. During his stints in the UFC and ONE, Johnson achieved many highlights during his multiple championship reigns with both promotions.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

There are many things that stand out about Johnson's MMA career. One of which is the fact that he was the center of the only major cross-promotional trade in the history of the sport when the UFC traded Johnson to ONE in exchange for Ben Askren.

Before his departure from the UFC, Johnson's long reign in the flyweight title finally ended against Henry Cejudo in his promotional final. The loss ended one of the greatest runs in UFC championship history, and certainly the longest.

After walking away from MMA earlier this year, Johnson believes his UFC flyweight title is something that fight fans and pundits will never see surpassed as the sport continues to grow in popularity worldwide.

Demetrious Johnson reveals his biggest UFC achievement that he doesn't think will be repeated

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Johnson was asked about one UFC record that he thinks will prove impossible to surpass.

“What me and Anderson Silva have done with so many back-to-back title defenses will remain untouched,” Johnson said. “If you look at the landscape of mixed martial arts, you see Ilia Topuria who is 27 years old…Alex Pereira, he is about 37 years old. All the champions are in their thirties. From 2012 to 2018, that's six years of pure dominance. You're not going to see that these days because everyone wants to stand up and fight for it [a second belt].

“Eleven consecutive title defenses will never be touched. Jon Jones, he's been in and out, now he's a heavyweight… what I've been able to accomplish as a champion can't be replicated.

Johnson's memorable victory over Ray Borg at UFC 216 was his record-breaking 11th consecutive title defense. He surpassed longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who made ten title defenses during his reign.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Demetrious Johnson retired in 2024 after a legendary MMA career

Johnson defeated the likes of Joseph Benavidez, John Dodson and Cejudo for his UFC flyweight title. After UFC CEO Dana White reportedly threatened to disband the division, Johnson and others strengthened the weight class for years, resulting in the flyweight talent we see today.

Johnson announced his retirement from ONE 168 earlier this year, ending his legendary run in the cage. While Johnson walked away from MMA, he will continue to compete in various wrestling competitions after discovering a new-found love for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Johnson will likely enter the UFC Hall of Fame at some point, especially after hanging up the gloves recently. But his sometimes tense relationship with White and the UFC brass could hinder his chances in the Hall of Fame.

At a time when the term 'champ-champ' is widespread, Johnson's long title reign may never be repeated. Only time will tell if we'll ever see anything like it again.

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