UFC 174's Demetrious Johnson more concerned with family, future than critics

(This story first appeared in Friday’s USA TODAY.)

VANCOUVER – At just 27, Demetrious Johnson is the only flyweight titleholder the UFC has ever known.

While he’s a proud champion who intends to reign over the division for the foreseeable future, the glitz and glamour of the belt have nothing to do with his motivation to keep it wrapped around his waist.

“I’m just doing my thing and trying to pay my bills and take care of my family,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. “Just because I’ve been the champion for almost two years so far doesn’t make me a different person. It’s the same focus.

“My goal is that after I get done fighting, I never have to go back to a 9-to-5 job. Granted, if I retire when I’m 40, I need to live for 50 years and help this money stretch. So I’m just enjoying the ride – just keep on training and keep fighting.”

“Mighty Mouse” Johnson (19-2-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC) on Saturday meets hard-hitting Russian contender Ali Bagautinov (13-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the headlining bout of UFC 174 (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET) at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Less than three years ago, Johnson still was balancing the rigors of a full-time job at a Seattle-area construction warehouse. But as he made quick strides to the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division, Johnson realized an increased focus on his martial arts career potentially could pay huge dividends in the future, and he left the warehouse job to spend more time training under the tutelage of Matt Hume.

While he subsequently fell short in a 2011 bid for the company’s 135-pound title, the 2012 introduction of the flyweight division gave Johnson the opportunity he needed to compete in a more natural weight class. The switch proved wise, as Johnson has yet to lose at flyweight, capturing the UFC title in September 2012 and successfully defending it three times since.

Along the way, he married his girlfriend, Destiny, and in 2013 the couple welcomed a son to the world. For Johnson, it’s that family – and not any sort of critical accolades – that fuels his drive.

“Life as a father is awesome,” Johnson said. “My schedule hasn’t changed too much. Obviously, I wake up a lot earlier than I would like to, but that’s part of life. My wife does a fantastic job of being a stay-at-home mom and making sure everything is taken care of while I’m away for my fights. It’s awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“My wife and my family are a priority. A lot of fighters, they like to look at things different, but for me, I always told my wife that I would never put our lives on hold for fighting.”

The flyweight division plays home to the smallest fighters in the UFC, and while the action is typically high-paced and the bouts dynamic, the weight class still is carving out its place in fans’ consciousness. At just 125 pounds, critics often question the athletes’ finishing abilities, though Johnson has recently addressed those concerns with a stunning first-round knockout of top contender Joseph Benavidez, as well as a fifth-round submission of gritty challenger John Moraga.

But Johnson doesn’t feel it necessary to convince the world of the viability of his division in the same way that, say, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has taken to introducing the world to female fighters. Instead, Johnson believes his role simply is to present the world with the best martial arts displays he can muster, and more importantly, to help secure the future of his family.

“I would love to do movies at some point,” Johnson said. “I would love to do sports commentating. There are 1,000 things that I would love to do, but the end-game goal is I don’t want to be one of those fighters that when I walk away I say, ‘I wish I would have been a truck driver.’ I want to be the type of fighter that when I’m done fighting, it’s like: My house is paid off. My cars are paid off. I can have enough free time to make it to all my son’s baseball games or whatever he decides to do.

“When I go out there and fight, that is my sales pitch. I’m just going to go out there and display my skill set, and you’re either going to love it or you’re going to hate it.”

For more on UFC 174, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.