Demetrious Johnson, one of UFC's best flyweights opens up on UFC drama and walking away | The Pivot

TL;DR

Demetrious Johnson reveals the UFC traded him away after 8 title defenses because he didn't generate enough noise, not because he lacked skill.

Key Points

• 1.DJ was raised by a deaf mother he didn't know was deaf until age 12, had an abusive stepfather, and didn't meet his biological father until his 30s.
• 2.He found his dad using a private investigator/threat assessor he met at the gym, who traced him via social security number his mom had hidden the whole time.
• 3.At UFC champion level, DJ was making $350,000 flat, increasing $10,000 per defense — but after losing, his pay was cut nearly in half to roughly $125,000-$150,000.
• 4.UFC traded him for retired Ben Askren, who then lost to Jorge Masvidal via the fastest KO in UFC history, while DJ went to ONE Championship and thrived.
• 5.DJ won the ONE Championship World Grand Prix and later secured a flying knee knockout, saying his skill set is "10,000% better" than those he was traded for.
• 6.He believes the UFC prioritized marketability over merit, citing the example of a fighter being cut after beating a 15-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Marcus Buchecha.
• 7.DJ met his wife Destiny at Red Lobster when both were 18 and dating other people; she called him the same night he gave her his number and never left.
• 8.He credits his wife as his operational backbone — she now handles all logistics after he booked a UK seminar six hours away from where he'd arranged their accommodation.
• 9.On fatherhood, his biggest struggle is preparing his homeschooled kids (ages 12 and younger) for real-world knowledge like health insurance and interest rates over traditional academics.
• 10.DJ considers himself the undisputed GOAT of the flyweight division and names Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Khabib, and rising star Ilia Topuria among the all-time UFC greats.