If you grew up watching MMA during what is widely considered the golden era, the name Demetrius “Mighty Mouse” Johnson needs no introduction. He’s one of the longest-reigning UFC champions in history. And he made the flyweight division a “must-watch” event at a time when people were questioning whether it should even exist.​

Johnson recently joined us on The Next Rep podcast, and we covered a lot. Some of what he said landed significantly for MMA gym owners and coaches in the combat sports space. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the conversation.

How the Golden Era Left a Gap in the MMA Pipeline

Johnson started fighting professionally in 2009, and advanced in an era where MMA had a completely different feel. The fan base was smaller and more passionate, so fighters had to build their own equity. Because of that, the sport felt like something fans had to discover, instead of just stumbling upon it while scrolling all the streaming options.

Now, Johnson said things are vastly different. There are so many events that missing a card isn’t a big deal for viewers. His take is that creates a fundamentally different relationship with the audience than what build the sport in the first place.

One of the things that really stood out from the interview was a point Johnson made about fighter equality. He referenced a quote from Ronda Rousey that fighters from the earlier era never really passed their equity to the next generation of stars. And because the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has gotten big enough now for the brand to carry itself, it doesn’t even necessarily need stars anymore.

“They’re not worried about the hardcore fan base because they’ve already got them,” Johnson said. “What they don’t have is the everyday mom and pops who say, ‘There’s fights on, it’s free, let’s watch.’”

For MMA gym owners, that casual shift in fan engagement is worth paying attention to. Because fewer stars in the sport leads to fewer kids walking through your doors saying, “I want to fight like him.”

The Rarity (and Opportunity) in MMA Gyms

During the podcast, we discussed an interesting phenomenon from the current landscape of combat sports. There are plenty of Jiu-Jitsu academies, and lots of kickboxing and boxing gyms. But there are very few proper MMA gyms, so we asked Johnson for his opinion.

His answer was actually fairly blunt: the money in professional MMA is still bad. And if the ceiling for most fighters isn’t where it needs to be, a few logical questions arise. Why would a parent get their kid into the sport? Or why would a young athlete choose MMA over football, basketball, or even grappling?

“I would not push my kids to pursue mixed martial arts whatsoever,” Johnson said. “The money’s not where it’s going to be.”

However, in his view, what makes Jiu-Jitsu academies work is that the sport has something MMA doesn’t: an almost unlimited age range of participants who can actually compete. From young kids to adults to masters divisions for 70-year-olds and up. That means there’s always a revolving door of students, a competition to train for, and a reason to stay.

Put simply, MMA just doesn’t have the same infrastructure for recreational competitors.

For school owners, this hybrid concept might be an interesting concept. Do you want the energy of MMA but the retention of Jiu-Jitsu? The answer might be in how you structure programming to give adults a genuine competitive outlet, not just pad work and partner drills.

A Simple Question to Apply in Your MMA School

One of the things that kept Johnson at the top of his division for so long was his mindset. As he explained, he simply kept asking, ‘How can we get better?’

Win or lose, that was the constant throughout his time in competition. But it wasn’t until the latter part of his UFC career that his coach Matt Hume started asking him about strategy. Instead of just dictating the game plan, he was actively involved, and he believes that collaborative piece pushed him to another level.

“Giving the athlete a chance to partake in the structuring of how the fight is going to go” was the game-changer, he said. “Because at the end of the day, it’s me fighting.”

MMA school owners can apply this to your coaching strategy as well. If your advanced athletes are just executing your game plan with zero input, you might be blocking performance or motivation.

In your MMA school, let athletes get involved in fight strategy to improve motivation.

Is Coaching In the Future for “Mighty Mouse?”

When asked about opening an MMA school or taking on a full-time coaching role, Johnson didn’t hesitate to say no. His reasoning was the clarity of knowing what it takes to bring an athlete to a high level, and the sacrifices required from both the athlete and the people around them. He said it takes a specific kind of person to want to give that much of themselves to someone else’s athletic career.

“Matt [Hume] had that love for martial arts and the love for giving back to athletes,” he said. “I know I’m not that person.”

He went on to explain that even though everyone in the industry knows it, people don’t talk about this one thing: there’s very little money in coaching. You have to love it to survive it, and the coaches who build great MMA programs aren’t doing it for the financial outcome. They do it because it’s genuinely part of who they are. In Johnson’s opinion, being a great fighter doesn’t make you a great coach; they’re different skill sets and a different calling.

Exploring a Different Career Path

Johnson has taken a different route than many of the other MMA greats of his time. He’s been writing a manga (Japanese comic book) with 54 completed chapters so far. Every fight scene it it was choreographed by him, drawing on 25 years of actual combat experience. He’s also launching an electrolytes brand later this year. Plus, his YouTube Channel has been ranking in the top four on Spotify Sports.

The common thread among all of Johnson’s projects is that he’s getting to express what he knows, in formats he controls, with his family involved. He said he loves that he can sit with his kids while he works, and say no to content that doesn’t excite him.

“My life is great,” he said. “I’m healthy, my wife’s healthy, my kids are healthy. I’m not struggling.”

When asked about potential superfight offers, he explained, “For me to get into a combat situation again, it has to change everybody’s life.”

The Takeaway for MMA Gym Owners

For MMA school owners, there are quite a few parallels in Johnson’s story. The sport you love might not always pay what it should. The athletes you work with might not stay. And the business side is harder than the athletic side in many ways.

But the business owners who are succeeding are ones that understand their membership base the same way Johnson understands his audience. Ask yourself, are you in it for the paycheck or the love of the sport? Are you building something that’s appealing to a wider audience? And are you creating something long-term?

While Johnson set out to chat about his epic career and what comes next, he probably didn’t realize he was also helping MMA school owners with some wisdom and direction as well. As it turns out, asking the right questions can set you and your school up for long-term success.

Need help? Wodify is proud to help jiu-jitsu academy owners build and run successful businesses, and we’d love to help you, too! Book a demo with our team today to find out more.

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