UFC’s Aljamain Sterling takes aim at ONE flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson and instantly regrets it

Demetrious Johnson responded to the somewhat ludicrous comment made by UFC bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling that Father Time has caught up to the ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion.

Appearing on The MMA Hour this past Wednesday, Johnson expressed his desire to “spar” with Sterling and provided some critical insights into the UFC Bantamweight World Champion.

“Let’s play spar. Come spar, I would love to grapple you, I would love to just move and see how you do your thing,” Johnson said.

It all began when Sterling took a shot at Johnson’s age and size, branding “Mighty Mouse” as “too little” for his taste during a UFC 292 pre-fight press conference.

“He’s too little, man. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is great, but he’s too little,” Sterling said. “There’s a reason why he lost to [Dominick Cruz]. It wasn’t a skill deficiency, it’s size. He’s skilled, but I think Father Time has passed him a little bit.

“If he wants this work, try to get some revenge for Henry [Cejudo], I can beat your boy too. So ‘Mighty Mouse’ where you at?”

The remark struck a chord with Johnson, and the 37-year-old upped the ante by criticizing Sterling’s skill set.

“I feel his weakness is he has no clinch game, I would eat his ass up for breakfast in the clinch game,” the flyweight said. “I feel like rhythm-wise, I move way better than he does on the feet.”

Johnson doubled-down on the thought, adding once more, “I just feel like I’d eat him alive in the clinch.”

Demetrious Johnson, Aljamain Sterling walk two separate paths

While fans may yearn to witness a Demetrious Johnson vs. Aljamain Sterling super-fight, the chances of it happening are quite slim.

The major roadblock lies in the fact that Johnson and Sterling are signed with different promotions. Currently, Johnson is with ONE Championship and Sterling is with the UFC.

Sterling is set to defend his bantamweight crown against Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 292 this weekend.

Meanwhile, Johnson is fresh off a dominant trilogy win over Adriano Moraes at ONE Fight Night 10.