Max Holloway Geeks Out About ‘Greatest of All Time’ Demetrious Johnson

Okay, we have to talk about what Demetrious Johnson did at UFC 216. By now, even your parents and friends who have never watched the UFC had to have sent you the video on Facebook screaming, ‘Did you see this?!’. Of course you did. Mighty Mouse catapulted Ray Borg up into the air and then slapped on an armbar, submitting him and breaking Anderson Silva’s defense record. I was amazing. We’re still freaking out about it and so is UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway, who geeked out about it to Ariel Helwani and partly to Johnson himself was on the line.

“Congrats on the amazing ninja sh-t you did. Congrats [Demetrious Johnson]. You’re a beast, man, I couldn’t believe my eyes what I saw on Saturday night [at UFC 216]. I had to watch it like a thousand times. I think he’s the best, I think he’s the GOAT. He’s going out there and he’s doing phenomenal things. He’s making everyone look like they’re not even in a league of his own. It reminds you of the Ronda Rousey era, everyone’s befuddled about what’s going on and he’s doing it against these other guys who are great. The 125 [division] is brand new, you don’t know who the ex-champs is so you can’t say he fought ex-champs. Bla bla, that’s what everyone is arguing about. This guy is the best in the world to keep competing in the UFC and keep doing what he’s doing.”

That was some ninja shit! Congrats champ @MightyMouseUFC #ufc216

— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) October 8, 2017

“He’s making these guys look like they’re not supposed to be in there in there with him. That’s what GOAT’s do. I think he’s the greatest of all time. That Mighty Plex that he did. ohmy gosh. It was just amazing. I don’t know what that was. I was in disbelief. I was like, what is going on? Is this real life? You see that freaking Boston Crab thing, you see it on a regional show. You think that nothing will ever come close to that in the UFC. Then, in the UFC you see this guy pick up this guy in the air, grab his arm, and did it. Ray Borg was fighting it, dues to him but he’s the GOAT. He said it in his own words, he’s got a lot more to do. So, I’m excited to see. I don’t know if he’s got anymore ninja tricks up his sleeve, it should be amazing.” — Max Holloway speaking on The MMA Hour.

Max Holloway’s reaction and respect just shows how much of a fighter’s-fighter Demetrious Johnson is. He’s inspiring others to strive to beat his defense record and innovate in the Octagon. If he wants to follow in Johnson’s footsteps to defending 11 times, he gets his first chance at UFC 218. Max Holloway will defend his own title in Detriot against Frankie Edgar on November 4th.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/10/2017.