Demetrious Johnson (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
Often times, focus is what separates champions from contenders.
For UFC Flyweight Champion, Demetrious Johnson, this type of dedication made his recent outing against challenger, John Dodson, a little bit easier.
Mighty Mouse said in a post-fight interview with Fox Sports' Megan Olivi, "One of the things we worked extremely hard on in this camp [was] staying low, not getting high, popping up right into his wheelhouse."
As fans might remember, the champ received several solid punches and was knocked down a couple of times in their first encounter in Chicago.
Now, more than two years after that UFC on Fox event, Johnson was just too good to manufacture the same errors, and was just physically and mentally prepared for the rematch.
"The conditioning for this fight was extreme," Johnson shared.
"Each time I would hit pads in the morning, extremely hard, coach Brad (Kerston) would say, 'stay focused, stay focused.' And, that's what I had to do, even in between rounds," he continued. "They told me, 'stay focused, stay low, and get in on him,'"
It sure seemed like this refined approached worked, as Johnson looked like he deflated Dodson from the onset.
"My pressure is what gets people tired. No matter if you have a new conditioning coach, you train at altitude, my fighting style is to press the pace," claimed the champ. "His (Dodson) style is not to do that. His style is to look back, wait for the counter and that's what he was trying to do in this fight."
When asked about other people's reaction about his style, Johnson was quick to defend himself by saying, "John Dodson said I was garbage and that I'm boring and bad for the division.
"But look at my face, I'm still pretty and that's what technique will get you," he quipped. "I can go home and my kids will see me and they'll say, 'daddy, what happened?' And I'll say 'nothing, son. I got paid, and that's it.'"
At the end of the day, not one living soul on this earth can - and should - question Demetrious Johnson's abilities, nor his style of fighting, as he continuously proves all doubters wrong every time he steps foot inside the octagon; just ask John Dodson.
