Dissecting Demetrious Johnson’s Complaints

Demetrious Johnson, one of the greatest fighters of all-time, recently released a statement over his displeasure with Dana White and the UFC. It’s the type of statement that longtime insiders and anti-Dana supporters have waited ages for. While fighters have railed against White and mistreatment for years, it’s never come from a fighter as high profile or decorated as Johnson. It’s also never been in so much detail.

Nate Diaz has spoke out on his unhappiness, but that’s Nate Diaz, a guy who has always had no filter and never seems all that happy unless he’s punching people in the face. Conor McGregor has spoken out, but Conor’s unhappiness comes from a place of personal gain and has nothing to do with other fighters. Joe Lauzon and other mid-tier fighters have voiced displeasures, but very few paid attention. Fighters tried to rally and unionize, but those misguided attempts quickly fell apart.

Johnson’s statement feels different. And, while I have my doubts that anything will change, this is the type of effort and voice needed to finally bring about change to the sport.

Pieces of Johnson’s statement are in bold. My own comments are below.

For years I have been a company man and kept quiet, accepting fights, doing as they asked, and always remaining humble and grateful for the opportunities provided to me through mixed martial arts. This is how I was raised through the sport. Unfortunately, UFC’s mistreatment and bullying has finally forced me to speak out. 

This is why Johnson’s statement is different. He’s always done as the company has asked, even though they’ve constantly let him down in their promoting of him.

I’ve decided to speak out now as I feel like my values and character as a person and a fighter are being tarnished by an organization I’ve done nothing but sweat and bleed for over the last seven years of my life.

I refer you back to my “The Promoter Is Not Your Friend” column.

UFC Matchmaker Mick Maynard called and offered the fight vs. Ray Borg. I thought [Sergio] Pettis was a more marketable name and on a longer winning streak. Mick went back to Dana, then came back and told us that I had no choice, it was going to be Ray Borg, not Pettis, and there were no other options. That was the command from Dana and company. This would mean that my only chance at PPV points at flyweight was vs. Ray Borg.

Neither fight is marketable because the UFC doesn’t care to market Johnson or his fights, but if he wanted to fight Pettis over Borg, he should be given that choice. He’s earned that over the years and he’s right, Pettis at least has a recognizable last name. Giving Johnson no say in the matter just shows how all-mighty Dana is.

I said OK, but it’s not fair to make that my only chance at PPV points, when Cody Garbrandt is saying he wants to come down and fight me at flyweight, which was the fight I wanted. We told Mick that to be fair we would take the fight, but [we] want PPV points for future fights at flyweight.

Things get kind of murky here as Johnson switches to talking about a fight with Cody Garbrandt. But, how come Johnson wasn’t getting PPV points to begin with? I know he’s rarely been on PPV, but shouldn’t all champions get points? What’s the harm in giving him PPV points? Let’s say Johnson gets $1 per buy with a chance to earn more depending on the buyrate. The last time he headlined (UFC 191), the event drew 115,000 buys. So, the UFC couldn’t spare an extra $115,00 for him? That’s nonsense. All champions should get PPV points in order to increase their earning potential because the belt honestly doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Mick spoke to Dana and [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby, who then told him to deny giving me any future PPV points for all of my future flyweight fights. Further, I still had to fight Ray Borg and they were giving me no other choice. I accepted the fight with Ray and decided to deal with the unfair situation and despicable treatment by Dana and Sean after I succeed in breaking the consecutive title fight defense record in my next fight vs. Borg. 

In this case, Johnson shouldn’t have taken the fight. It’s not the fight he wants and he’s not getting PPV points. He seems a bit naive in thinking that things will change once he breaks the consecutive title defense record. There’s no indication that it would change anything based on history and there’s no guarantee he wins the fight.

I wanted a reason for not being allowed any future PPV points. Sean Shelby called and told us how smaller fighters don’t sell, that UFC can’t make stars of anyone, and that a fight between Cody and I wouldn’t be a sellable fight. We disagreed. I think a fight between Cody and I would be popular if it was even given a small serving of the marketing efforts put into other big fights.

“I could spend $100 million on Demetrious vs. Cody and no one would know who these guys are.”

UFC has failed to market and promote me appropriately. Prior to my last fight, where I tied the record for the most consecutive successful title defenses, we waited to re-post UFC’s social media posts about me from their Facebook page. There weren’t any posts until a few days into fight week, then, there were a total of two posts. In comparison to others who they promote across their social media platforms, they failed to do their job in promoting me and that monumental event. In my recent conversations, Sean and Dana have confirmed UFC’s lack of desire to put any effort into promoting us.

This is something I’ve written and talk about before. The UFC doesn’t know how to market anyone outside of, “this guy is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world” and “ohhhhh. ahhhhh. HE HURT HIM!” The biggest stars in the UFC got over on their own, not because the UFC knew how to market them. Ronda Rousey was good looking and the first female with the UFC platform, Conor was brash and charismatic, Georges St-Pierre was Canadian, Brock Lesnar was a WWE star, etc…. Anderson Silva didn’t draw unless he was facing someone who could talk up the fight. Jon Jones was buried at every turn and has seen his drawing power diminish. Jose Aldo never drew despite being the most dominant featherweight of all-time. The UFC doesn’t promote fighters or fights. They give fighters the largest platform to promote themselves and their fight.

In addition to the above, I want to address the lack of marketing and promotion of the flyweight division, even though Dana will claim otherwise. I would challenge that the UFC doesn’t even market the division. 

I would have to agree.

With me, the UFC chooses not to market the best fighter in the world and arguably the greatest fighter of all time. I can’t think of any other sports organization in the world that has the best player in the sport where the league, or the organization, doesn’t market that player to their loyal fan base to sell more of their product. Look at my track record for showing up to fights. Look at my track record of finishing fights. Look at my track record of getting fight night bonuses. Ask yourself if you think that if the UFC decided to truly put marketing dollars behind me that they couldn’t sell me or my fights.

All valid points. Johnson might be the most consistent fighter ever when it comes to showing up and performing in the cage. And yet, no one knows who he is or the guys he’s fighting. The UFC put in the bare minimum to market him and the division. Joe Rogan saying, “this is an excellent fight” doesn’t quite sell like it used to.

Dana told me he wanted me to fight TJ, which I disagreed with for multiple reasons. First, TJ has never fought at flyweight and is unlikely to make the weight, which would then eliminate the possibility of breaking the title defense record.

Breaking the record means a lot to DJ, so I can understand his worry that TJ wouldn’t make the weight and wouldn’t get the chance to break the record. That said, Dillashaw vs. Johnson is by far the best fight for the division given that people know Dillashaw.

Second, they have already told me that a fight between Cody and I wouldn’t be sellable, so fighting TJ would have no monetary upside.

This is where the UFC logic is flawed. If you told DJ that they can’t sell a fight between him and Garbrandt, the current bantamweight champion, how can you convince him that you can sell a fight between him and Dillashaw?

Third, TJ is not a flyweight or a current champion in another weight class and was KO’ed by the flyweight whom I beat twice already.

Johnson bringing up Dodson knocking out Dillashaw in 2011, and the fact that he’s beaten Dodson twice, as a reason not to fight Dillashaw is irrelevant. It was TJ’s fifth professional fight and he’s improved exponentially since that time.

Last, Ray Borg and I already agreed to the fight, which UFC tyrannically demanded, while denying me any future PPV points.

If this was the fight that was agreed upon, this is the fight that should have happened.

After telling Dana my reasons, Dana angrily told me that I am fighting TJ, once again, with no other option or say in my career, and against the plans we had previously laid out. He went on further to say that if I didn’t take the fight against TJ, and drop Borg as the opponent, he would get rid of the entire flyweight division. He said, this is for TJ and I’m taking away TJ’s opportunity. That fact that he feels that what I should do in my career is for TJ, tells where his priority lies.

This is the damning paragraph and shows Dana’s child-like attitude. Threatening to do away with the entire division because Johnson wants to move forward with the originally agreed upon fight? Granted, no one would know if they scrapped the entire division, but how petty can you be? “Taking away TJ’s opportunity” proves the favoritism that we all know exists in the company.

The next day, Dana went to the media and announced that I was fighting TJ Dillashaw, in an obvious attempt to bully me in the media and tarnish my reputation.

Dana put up an interview stating that it was “insane” that I didn’t want to fight TJ, that “he makes the matches and that is the match he is making,” and, “You tell me why DJ doesn’t want to fight TJ,” trying to make it as though I am scared or ducking TJ Dillashaw.

This whole thing is a joke. Dana publicly burying fighters for turning down fights is nothing new and is sad. Johnson is right, it is a bully tactic, but how can Dana see that no one benefits from it? It does your company no good to publicly say, “our champion is afraid to fight this guy.”

Dana’s “I make the matches and that is the match I’m making” line is rich considering that every champion is allowed to handpick their opponent. Johnson, who has never turned down a fight or handpicked an opponent, has more than earned the right to do so. Except, in this case, he’s not even handpicking an opponent, he’s simply wanting to fight the guy he originally agreed to fight.

We told him that we didn’t think TJ would make the weight and the fight would be off since it would no longer be a title fight without TJ making weight. Mick said they guaranteed that TJ would make weight. We told him that since it was guaranteed by TJ and UFC was demanding and putting me in a bad circumstance, then it is fair that if TJ didn’t make weight, the fight would be off and I would still get my guarantee, plus TJ’s guaranteed pay. Mick said that Ray would be on the card and he could fill in if TJ didn’t make weight.

Good on Demetrious for either guaranteeing his title fight or guaranteeing his pay plus TJ’s pay. Bad on UFC for essentially giving Johnson two opponents. Not only that, but they would also be giving Borg two opponents and could leave Borg’s original opponent without anyone to fight. Do they not think these things through?

The fact that they said Ray will be a backup shows the lack of respect they have for what we go through in preparing for a fight at this level.

TALK TO EM!

Mick went back to Dana and Sean, then came back and told us that they don’t agree with my request and I have to fight TJ with no guarantee to make weight or financial incentive if he doesn’t make weight. This is typical of the unfulfilled promises and bullying that has gone on through my UFC career.

So you wanna be a fuckin fighter?

Let’s be friends on twitter. @jeremylambert88