Demetrious Johnson is officially a member of the ONE Championship active roster.
The UFC released the former flyweight champion, with ONE doing the same so that Ben Askren can sign with the UFC.
“Please join me in welcoming the No. 1 pound-for-pound king, Demetrious Johnson, to ONE Championship,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong said. “He is the most dominant mixed martial arts world champion in history, and holds the record for the most number of world title defenses in UFC. His extraordinary achievements speak for themselves, but I am most impressed by his character, his values, and his life story.”
Sityodtong also confirmed that the deal was agreed to by the UFC, Johnson and Askren, along with agent Malki Kawa.
Thank you to @MightyMouse, @Benaskren, @ONEChampionship, @UFC, and @malkikawa for making the 1st trade in mixed martial arts history possible. #gratitude
— Chatri Sityodtong (@YODCHATRI) October 27, 2018
Geje Eustaquio is the current ONE flyweight champion, with contenders Adriano Moraes, Kairat Akhmetov and Reece McLaren all calling the division home.
Johnson, who is 27-3-1 in his career, lost the title to Henry Cejudo earlier this year. He had scored 11 consecutive title defenses over a six-year stretch, setting a record inside the Octagon.
ONE recently signed former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, and Matt Hume, the long-time head coach for Johnson, is an executive with the Asian-based promotion.