Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is one of MMA’s most prolific fighters. He is considered by many to be the greatest flyweight of all time in the sport and is currently the ONE Championship flyweight champion. Prior to joining ONE, Johnson forged his storied career in the UFC, becoming the promotion’s inaugural flyweight champion. He has the third most wins in UFC title fights with 12 and has defended his title 11 consecutive times, the most in UFC history.
Johnson now fights in the ONE Championship circle and continues to pile up impressive accolades for his long, illustrious career. Not only is he ONE’s Flyweight Champion, but he also recently earned the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix belt. Even at 36 years old, Johnson looks unstoppable as he remains a top name and contender for ONE FC. On a recent trip to New York City, Johnson stopped by Hypebeast to check out the newly opened HBX store in Chinatown. Before he bought new sneakers, we talked to him about his travel must-haves for our Necessities series.
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
Corey Danielic
As a world-class athlete who travels and trains a lot, Johnson watches video games for some spare time. A streamer on the YouTube platform, he relies heavily on his laptop and Xbox One controller to play his favorite PC games on the go. Johnson is serious about his dental care and always carries his state-of-the-art toothbrush with him. He is also a watch man and recently bought a new Rolex that was on his grail list. And while he only takes the championship title on press tours, he sheds a little light on how fighting for ONE is one of the best experiences of his career, and how honored he is to be one of the fastest growing martial arts promotions in the world.
A championship belt
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On August 27, before the ONE Championship debut live stream on Amazon Prime Video, Demetrious Johnson defeated Adriano Moraes in their rematch to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix title. Johnson won it impressively by knocking out Moraes with a flying knee. “I kind of saw the sequence in my head while I was doing it, but to put the finishing touches and how everything went I was really happy,” Johnson said. As for taking another title, the American fighter is really the first world champion in North America and in the eastern part of the world, except for Shogun Rua during the PRIDE Championship days. To do it at the age of 36 was also quite an achievement for Johnson.
As for the belt itself, DJ only takes it on press trips and likes to have others wear the piece to feel its weight. “People don’t realize how heavy the belt actually is,” Johnson says. “It is extremely heavy. It’s a beautiful piece of hardware and I love how people can see how beautiful the belt is.”
Rolex Sky Dweller
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The beauty of the Rolex Sky Dweller is that it is intended for the avid traveler. Johnson actually owns two of the same model, with this rose gold design being his latest purchase. He prefers the Sky Dweller for its sophisticated look and 24-hour dial. “Rolex Sky Dweller, it’s one of the most advanced pieces they have,” explains Johnson. “When I go to Singapore and Asia, everything is on a 24-hour clock, so that (Rolex Sky Dweller) allows me to differentiate times.” Johnson is a big fan of timepieces, but says he’s not a big fan of their price tags (the Sky Dweller can range from $15,000 USD to $49,300 USD). Before he got his new Rolex, he had to sell his previous Audemars Piguet to make way for the rose gold Sky Dweller, a must-have in his life. “It’s my prize, it’s my ‘belt’ watch,” adds DJ. “I’m trying to get the bracelet rose gold, but that’s an ongoing quest.”
Beats Headphones
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Johnson and his Beats headphones are inseparable. “I don’t leave without those things,” he says. “There are times when I go to the gym, and if I don’t have my headphones I won’t train or I’ll turn around and go home and pick them up.” DJ likes to focus on his workouts at the gym and it’s a hobby of his to have to talk to people when he just wants to get his workout done. He is a big fan of the Beats sound to focus on his workouts. “When I have my own music on, I’m in a zone,” Johnson adds. “It’s clear that Beats is a great product. It’s the only brand I use and they can go over my big ears.” If you compare Beats to Apple AirPods, DJ isn’t a fan of the earbuds, as they only fall off when he wears them.
Philips Sonicare Toothbrush
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Dental care is important to Johnson, all thanks to his wife who found him a reliable dentist that he likes. “I had braces and hated going to the dentist because I had terrible experiences,” Johnson reveals. “Then my wife took me to the right dentist and now I am absolutely crazy about dental care.” The Phillips Sonicare Toothbrush is the champion’s weapon of choice for fighting cavities. He’s gotten into a routine where when he wakes up, he eats breakfast, then goes to brush, floss, use mouthwash, and finally add a water-picking session if available. Many fanatics of clean teeth swear by the Sonicare model and it is also highly recommended by dentists. Like some of the other things on his essentials list, Johnson doesn’t travel without this particular toothbrush.
Xbox One controller
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For those who don’t know, fighting champion Demetrious Johnson is also an avid gamer and his controller of choice is the Xbox One controller because of how well it interacts with his PC. “It works well with Windows, and since it’s a Microsoft product, it’s part of the whole ecosystem,” Johnson explains. “So now I bring that to play Elden Rings or street fighter V or other controller-based games.” DJ shares that too Street Fighter V is currently his favorite fighting game. He adds that while Tekken used to be a big draw for him, he just became less of a fan because of Tekkenjuggling aspect.
Origin PC Gaming Laptop
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DJ’s laptop, an ORIGIN PC gaming console, is a big part of who he is, and he enjoys being on the computer as much as he can on platforms like Steam, Blizzard, and more. Johnson also works closely with the ORIGIN brand and they supply him for his gaming needs. As for favorite titles, DJs currently spinning a few are the ones that get the most attention. “My favorite game at the moment is Elden RingJohnson reveals. “I play through that and it’s my first play through. And I’m waiting too Cycle Limit to come out with Season 2. That comes out on September 28.”
In addition to playing games, the hunter/streamer uses his laptop to edit videos for his YouTube channel Mighty Gaming. Before DJ got involved with the popular video platform, DJ streamed on Twitch, but found that YouTube suited him and his viewers much better in terms of ease of use, versatility and community involvement. “I just switched to YouTube and so far it’s going great,” Johnson says. “I’ve only had three streams. I just like where I can stream and upload videos there so people can watch more content.”
Origin PC Mouse Pad
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The DJ mouse pad is nothing special. It is a generic pad with the ORIGIN logo printed on it. As a true gamer, however, Johnson finds that taking a mouse pad with you on a trip is often overlooked. “You will be surprised when you travel the world and you have a keyboard and a mouse, but no mouse pad,” said DJ with a laugh. “What I’ve done before is you end up using the hotel’s room service menu and that’s not good. So now I really travel with my damn mouse pad.”
Apple iPad
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While Johnson’s laptop is for playing games and editing videos, his Apple iPad is for movies and business forms. “When I’m on a plane and I have to do contracts or other kinds of figures like taxes, I use my iPad.” The iPad is really just an extension of DJ’s laptop, a replacement for in-flight movies and for sending important forms and legal items to his accountant or lawyers. The iPad is really just there as another screen to get it through long periods of travel.
TUMI travel pouch
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The TUMI travel case isn’t the most exciting piece in Demetrious Johnson’s essentials, but it’s a nice-sized travel companion. TUMI is a trusted name for its functional designs and durability. Johnson said he puts various items in it, such as his gadgets, controllers, and even his toothbrush. The double zip is conveniently placed and the size and shape are just right to fit neatly into carry-ons, backpacks and duffel bags.
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