Demetrious Johnson has denied rumors that Joe Rogan played a role in his move from UFC to ONE Championship, stating that Rogan had nothing to do with the decision and that the move was beneficial for his career.
Demetrious Johnson’s shift to ONE Championship was a complex affair. Joe Rogan, however, wasn’t a part of it.
Post the news of Johnson’s swap for Ben Askren in a historic 2018 deal, rumors spread. Some said Rogan had a role in persuading then-UFC president Dana White to seal the deal. Johnson clarified this during a JAXXON podcast appearance, after a chat with Rogan.
Johnson said, “I talked to Joe Rogan and he said, ‘Naw, I had nothing to do with it.'” He added that when he heard Rogan had convinced White, it was more like, “Dude, why not? Get Ben Askren and see what happens. If you’re planning to ditch the division, do it.”
Rogan is a big fan of Johnson and believes in his skills. Johnson thinks that Dana White, despite some negative comments, did a good job promoting him. “Sometimes when I look back at Dana White promoting me, I felt like he did a good job. He was like, ‘This guy’s amazing.’ And there were some videos of him s****** on me as well, I think he’s s*** on everybody.”
Johnson wasn’t selling in the States at that time. He believes the flyweight division wasn’t as popular then as it is today. “I just think the flyweight division wasn’t as popular as it is today, but you look at why is it popular today, you have social media, Instagram, all that stuff just blows up, it goes viral.”
The trade worked out for both sides. Johnson became a face of ONE, winning a championship trilogy with Adriano Moraes and a mixed rules clash with Muay Thai star Rodtang. Askren, a former ONE and Bellator champion, wasn’t as successful in the UFC. His only win was a controversial submission of Robbie Lawler. However, his loss to Jorge Masvidal via a five-second flying knee knockout boosted the UFC’s fortunes.
If Johnson had stayed with the UFC, it’s unclear what more could have been achieved. He had an impressive resume at 125 pounds with 11 straight title defenses and wins over notable names. But Johnson never became a top draw for the UFC, and it was beneficial for both to part ways.
Johnson said, “When I was going into that final fight with Henry Cejudo, the time where the UFC was at with the flyweight division, I’ve already defeated everybody.” He added that they would never let a flyweight at his time make $500,000, the standard pay for a mixed martial artist, for the champion.
Johnson’s management and he discussed his future after he lost to Henry Cejudo. He said, “For me, they would never give that to me and when I lost to Henry Cejudo [my then-management and I] were talking and we were like, ‘What are you going to do, bro?’ I was like, ‘You know, I want to see if they’re going to let me go.’”
The UFC was considering scrapping the division. Johnson wanted to see if he could get out of his contract. He said, “They were able to make it happen and they traded me for Ben Askren and I think it was the best decision that I ever did in my mixed martial arts career.”