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The Joe Rogan ExperienceThe Joe Rogan Experience

JRE MMA Show #131 with Mighty Mouse

Joe is joined by mixed martial artist and current ONE Championship Flyweight Champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. https://www.onefc.com/athletes/demetrious-johnson/

Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" JohnsonguestJoe Roganhost
Jun 27, 20242h 47mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 15:00

    (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast,…

    1. NA

      (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

    2. DJ

      The Joe Rogan Experience.

    3. JR

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) What's happening, my friend? Good to see you.

    4. DJ

      What's happening? Good to see you too.

    5. JR

      Good to see you.

    6. DJ

      Good to see you.

    7. JR

      Good to see you thriving out there in the world.

    8. DJ

      Just trying to do my best.

    9. JR

      Dude, you're killing it.

    10. DJ

      (laughs)

    11. JR

      It's beautiful, beautiful. That comeback win was fucking fantastic.

    12. DJ

      Thanks, man.

    13. JR

      It was, it was great to see.

    14. DJ

      Thank you.

    15. JR

      How the fuck are you still so good? You haven't slipped at all.

    16. DJ

      Uh, honestly, I think it's just the training, um, my mindset, uh, the team around me, and just honestly trying to get better every single time I step in the cage.

    17. JR

      The lighter weight classes though, I've always felt like there's a short window of excellence.

    18. DJ

      Yeah.

    19. JR

      You know? Like, even in boxing it seems like it's, like, nine, 10 years at peak form, but you defy that.

    20. DJ

      (laughs)

    21. JR

      You know, you really do, man.

    22. DJ

      Yeah.

    23. JR

      You're still, like, as good as ever.

    24. DJ

      It could be because I'm Black, could be my genetics. I, I have no idea. Um, I, I, I-

    25. JR

      It's, uh, it can't just be that-

    26. DJ

      (laughs)

    27. JR

      ... 'cause there's a lot of people that are also Black that haven't been able to do that.

    28. DJ

      Yeah, that's true.

    29. JR

      I think it's, I think what you're saying is that it's also technique, your technique has always been paramount, you know, it's always like the, the forefront of everything.

    30. DJ

      I honestly believe it's probably just the, my upbringing in mixed martial arts, right? And e- even, you know, I was talking to people the other day and they said, I started when I was 18, like, in m- martial arts. If, if you count, some people don't count wrestling as a m- uh, as a martial arts.

  2. 15:00 – 30:00

    Blasted right in the…

    1. JR

      that knee to the body, but then unfortunately-

    2. DJ

      Blasted right in the cowloop.

    3. JR

      ... followed up with one right in the cup.

    4. DJ

      Boo. Yeah. First off, why is John Lineker wearing a plastic cup?

    5. JR

      I know, right?

    6. DJ

      Like...

    7. JR

      Why doesn't he have, like, one of those diamond MMA cups?

    8. DJ

      Like, I have a steel cup and it still hurts.

    9. JR

      Oh, you have a steel cup?

    10. DJ

      Oh, hell yeah, I have a steel cup.

    11. JR

      They allow you to wear steel cups?

    12. DJ

      You goddamn right. Gotta protect these balls, baby.

    13. JR

      Interesting. I, I understand.

    14. DJ

      Yeah.

    15. JR

      I understand.

    16. DJ

      Yeah.

    17. JR

      You're a father. (laughs)

    18. DJ

      Ab- absolutely. Well, I don't need 'em anymore, but-

    19. JR

      (laughs)

    20. DJ

      ... I just still wanna have-

    21. JR

      You do- you done?

    22. DJ

      Oh, hell yeah, I'm done.

    23. JR

      (laughs)

    24. DJ

      Absolutely. Um...

    25. JR

      But the steel cup is kinda fucked up.

    26. DJ

      Why?

    27. JR

      Because it's metal, 'cause you're hitting metal.

    28. DJ

      I'm ada-... You're hitting my-

    29. JR

      You really shouldn't, you shouldn't hit it.

    30. DJ

      You're hitting my ba- you're hitting my balls.

  3. 30:00 – 45:00

    That was the beautiful…

    1. DJ

    2. JR

      That was the beautiful thing about watching that fight, is seeing the difference between these elite strikers when they're just allowed to strike, and then seeing the difference between an elite MMA fighter-

    3. DJ

      Mm-hmm.

    4. JR

      ... and how he knows he can't implement his game the same way.

    5. DJ

      Yeah.

    6. JR

      I mean, that's just how it's... This is a beautiful example of why mi- mixed martial arts is the best combat sport in the world.

    7. DJ

      1000%. I think it's... Uh, it's the best art form, right? Uh, you... Obviously, you're bringing all of them together.

    8. JR

      Mm-hmm.

    9. DJ

      But if you, if you have someone who's a, a great boxer, you know... If you're an MMA guy, you can play in that realm of boxing and you can take him to a place where he can't breathe. Or if you have a guy who's a great jujitsu guy, it's like, "Perfect. I'm not gonna go to ground, and if we do, I'm gonna punch you in the face and elbow." Like Matt Hughes. He's like, "Everybody can outside do armbar."

    10. JR

      Mm-hmm.

    11. DJ

      So you punch him in the face and, you know, everything, you know, is forgotten.

    12. JR

      Yeah. You were creeping with that left arm.

    13. DJ

      Yeah. Here, I've been focused on... In the training camp, I didn't care if I got underneath your chin. I was working on my squeeze.

    14. JR

      Mm-hmm.

    15. DJ

      And just trying to squeeze the blood out of your head. And so...

    16. JR

      It was amazing. And that dude fucking hung in there, man.

    17. DJ

      He did. He did, man.

    18. JR

      He hung in there. He took it. He... I mean, he's getting the fuck choked out of him too.

    19. DJ

      See, I think he's got a steel cup on. It's actually a Muay Thai steel cup.

    20. JR

      Mm-hmm.

    21. DJ

      But...

    22. JR

      Yeah.

    23. DJ

      So, yeah.

    24. JR

      And he went out too.

    25. DJ

      Yep.He did.

    26. JR

      Good for him, no tapping.

    27. DJ

      Yep.

    28. JR

      Just tried to hang in there as long as he could.

    29. DJ

      Yep.

    30. JR

      But that, that to me is one of the more interesting things about seeing a match like that, is like, you get to see... Like, 'cause people that don't know go, "Oh, who's gonna beat that guy?"

  4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

    Yeah. …

    1. DJ

      compete, why not?

    2. JR

      Yeah.

    3. DJ

      Right?

    4. JR

      Yeah, I only, I only see positives. So they came to you and they asked you to fight for the World Muay Thai Championship-

    5. DJ

      Oh, yeah, back, back, back on that story.

    6. JR

      ... against Rod Tang. Yeah, yeah, yeah. (laughs)

    7. DJ

      Yeah, yeah, we just go on these little tangents, little journeys and shit.

    8. JR

      Yeah, that's okay, I'll bring it back.

    9. DJ

      Um, so I was on the couch with the wife, and I was like, "Hey, babe..." Well, they said, "Why don't you fight him?" I was like, "You know, guys, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm grateful for the opportunity," but I was like, "I have no interest in being a World Muay Thai Fighter." Like, I, I just don't... It's not on my bucket list, I don't really care. But I was like, "But I will fight..." And I, I said, and I don't wanna disrespect the other guys who been working their whole lives to capture that dream.

    10. JR

      Did you ask for MMA first?

    11. DJ

      No, I didn't. I said-

    12. JR

      Wow.

    13. DJ

      Let me, let me, let me finish the story, goddamn it.

    14. JR

      Please, please.

    15. DJ

      Okay?

    16. JR

      Sorry, sorry.

    17. DJ

      Cut me off, Joe. What's wrong with you, man?

    18. JR

      No, I mean-

    19. DJ

      Okay.

    20. JR

      I mean, one-round MMA first.

    21. DJ

      No, no, I'm gonna get there.

    22. JR

      Okay.

    23. DJ

      You're gonna love it.

    24. JR

      Okay.

    25. DJ

      I hope you love it, but-

    26. JR

      I'll love it, I'm sure I'll love it.

    27. DJ

      So, I said, I said, "I don't, I don't wanna take that opportunity from somebody else who wants to be a Muay Thai World Champion." I was like, I was like, "I'll still fight Rod Tang. We could fight th- through three, three threes, we do it in big gloves, we can make it happen." And they're like, "Yeah, okay, we'll come back to you. We'll think of something." And they, they called me back, and I, and then I hung up the phone and I talked to my wife, and she, and she goes, "Who was that?" I goes, "Oh, it's, oh, it's no one." She goes, "Well, who do you want?" And I was like, "I wanna fight Rod Tang." She goes, "Want you, want you to fight Rod Tang?" I was like, "Yeah." And she goes, "Well, how do you feel about it?" And I was like, "Uh, it'll be fun. You know, we'll see what happens." I was like, "Remember, this is what, this is what they pay me to do is fight. This is why I fight, to make money, right?" And she goes, "Yeah, yeah." She goes, "Okay, well, you know, he's very dangerous, so we'll see what happens." Then they called me back, and they were like, "Hey, how about we do a special rules fight?" I was like, "I'm listening." And they're like, "One round Muay Thai, second round MMA, third round Muay Thai, fourth round MMA." And I was like, "And what are the rounds?" She's like, "Three-minute rounds." I was like, "Still same, same contract pay and all that stuff, you know?" He was like, "Yep," I was like, "Send a contract." (laughs)

    28. JR

      (laughs)

    29. DJ

      And then when, when it got announced, Mag's like, "Doug, man, I, I, I can't believe you're doing MMA first!" And he was like, he was like, "How come you aren't doing MMA?" And I was like, "Guys, I'm 35 years old. I am tired of arguing and trying to get the upper hand and do all that shit." And I was like, "If I can't make it out the first round of, of, of Muay Thai, then so be it. I don't care." Like, "I just don't care." And that's how I left it at. I didn't care about if it was first round Muay Thai or second round, I just... I, I didn't care, right? I just truly didn't care.

    30. JR

      But we got to see the contrast that way, because I think-

  5. 1:00:00 – 1:01:49

    That right hand was…

    1. DJ

      it was... and if, and if, and if it wasn't, if he got back up, he'd get up, and he goes... like, even that fight, like, there's a part where I shot, and then he, he defends with take-down 'cause he's so fucking long, and he starts kneeing their head, right? And I'm like, "Oh, sh-..." like, "Oh, shit. Oh, shit," in my mind. And then when he's switching over for the darts, I said, "I'm not fucking done yet," and I, I got up, and then I s-... I kept on fighting. So if he was to see the same thing, got up and goes, "I'm not done yet," I'm like, "Perfect. I still got more energy to give you." So...

    2. JR

      That right hand was so perfect too, the timing of that.

    3. DJ

      Uh-huh. Yeah.

    4. JR

      And the knee on the fucking cheekbone.

    5. DJ

      Yeah. It was a good fight.

    6. JR

      It was a beautiful fight.

    7. DJ

      Yeah.

    8. JR

      And i- how satisfying was that for you to come back from the first fight that you guys had?

    9. DJ

      It was good. Um, it was good, but (laughs) that guy's face on the right. (laughs)

    10. JR

      (laughs)

    11. DJ

      I think it's the Matchmaker Rick. He's hilarious. Um, for me, after the r-... after the first fight I had with him, I went through, like, I think 2019. Uh, I think it was 2019, 2000... 2020 was a huge, like, m- shift in my life, you know, that affected me differently and my mindset. And so when I lost that first fight to him, I was so... wasn't mad about losing. I was mad about I put so much pressure on myself about being perfect, and it just drove me insane. Like, everything I want to do is perfect. I still have that in me, but-

    12. JR

      In what way? What do you mean?

    13. DJ

      So (sighs) I don't know. Like, I felt like... I remember being in a hotel room, and I re-... we watched the fight, and then I felt like it was just after COVID. So my, my sister passed during... uh, I was getting ready for a fight.I, this is where it kinda stemmed from. So I was getting ready for a fight. My sister, she, she died, and then seeing her pass, and then seeing basically the endgame of life, right?

Episode duration: 2:47:02

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