Demetrious Johnson.
D
emetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been a key figure to the career transition of his protegee, James Yang, into mixed martial arts (MMA). The man, widely touted as the sport’s greatest of all time, is excited to see his training partner develop as a martial artist and is excited to watch his clash against Keanu Subba at ONE 156: Eersel vs Sadikovic on April 22.
Yang’s journey in martial arts has been a part of him since he was a child and took him into the rural villages of China’s Shaolin Temple. Now he has been a part of AMC Pankration and surrounded by icons in the sport like DJ, and former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes, which adds to the 32-year-old well of knowledge.
“I think he’s getting better as a martial artist, he’s mentally tough enough with his background in wushu and time in Shaolin temple,” Johnson said. “And, you know, I would have to say, just him being a better martial artist.”
The former Shaolin student started his career in ONE in an explosive manner, dominating Roel Rosauro with a TKO in September of last year. Yang’s killer instinct and skills on the canvas led the American to control the Filipino throughout the match until he got the win in the second round.
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“Mighty Mouse” said that his teammate will please the fans with his performance against Subba, and after breaking down the opponent, Johnson is confident that Yang will earn another decisive win in his second outing.
“I expect a finish, so they can expect that too, after watching Keanu Subba [performed], I see there are parts where Yang can go all out and be better than him,” Johnson shared. “But you know, a fight is a fight, so James needs to make sure he’s physically ready and just get out there and fight.”
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Aside from being confident that his protegee is going to come out victorious in his sophomore outing, “Mighty Mouse” believes that Subba will act as the toughest test in Yang’s career so far. Should Yang manage to rise from the challenge in an impressive style, it would do wonders for his future in the sport and his record.
“I think [James] fighting Subba is a great stepping stone, we did some research on Keanu Subba and watched some videos on him, and I think he’s the best opponent for where he is right now,” Johnson shared.
“I think Keanu is going to bring the fight much better than his last opponent, Subba does a lot of things right, his stand up is very technical and has a lot of good fundamentals.”
On the other side of the coin, Subba will be aiming for his eight-pro win and derailing the hype train that Yang is on. After recovering from his injury and making his walk into the Circle, Subba wants to give a statement to the division and to the world that he’s not yet out.
Catch ONE 156: Eersel vs Sadikovic live on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, NETVERSE, or MAXstream beginning with the lead card at 4 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) this Friday, April 22.
The main card broadcasts live on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, NETVERSE, and MAXstream at 7:30 p.m. WIB. Also, NET TV will air a same-day delay at 10 p.m. WIB.
This article is published in collaboration with ONE Championship