On a recent episode of The Pivot Podcast, host Ryan Clark raised his observation about representation at the top of the UFC, directing it at guest Demetrious Johnson who is considered to be one of the greatest icons of the sport.
The conversation centered on how few Black American athletes have held UFC titles. Clark framed the discussion by pointing to the difference between Black American representation and the success of athletes with African roots.
“There weren’t a lot of African-American and haven’t been a lot of African-American UFC champions,” Clark said. “We had DC, we had Jon, but even Izzy, Kamaru, Francis, like all of those guys aren’t from America. And so when we see people like you, it’s like, oh, we could connect to that. And so you immediately start to cheer.”
For Clark, Johnson’s rise to the top of the flyweight division was significant. As a Black American champion, Johnson represented something that many fans in the United States rarely saw in the UFC’s title picture.
Clark then turned his attention to what he perceived as Johnson’s mistreatment by the organization during his championship reign. “Like, why would Dana talk about him [Demetrious Johnson] in this way. You would think somebody that’s that damn good at this job would be treated in a different way.”
He went further, suggesting the UFC’s motives were calculated. “It felt like they were waiting for somebody to beat you. Because it was like if he’s still the champion, it’s hard to do this. We can’t vacate the belt. But soon as Henry Cejudo beat you, you were gone.”
Johnson confirmed the sentiment without hesitation. “Oh, 1000%. Like it’s no secret I’ve always been outspoken about it. I won my eighth consecutive title defense and this guy comes in and he gets a $500,000 paycheck. Like, make that make sense.”
He continued: “I remember when I was about to compete against Cejudo. I think it’s the first time we did a sick commercial. Never saw the footage to this day. I was like, why don’t you guys put the footage out? Oh, this guy got hurt. I don’t give a f**k. I’m still competing. Play that f**king footage. Like, what’s the problem?”
Johnson also drew a direct comparison to other professional sports to illustrate the disconnect. “When you look at the best running back in the NFL, he’s going to get paid. You look at the best basketball player in the NBA, he’s going to get paid. In mixed martial arts, that’s not necessarily the case.”
He elaborated on the UFC’s willingness to discard elite talent regardless of performance. “They don’t care about having the best athletes in the world. That’s what the UFC does. They’ll cut people who are way better on the roster.”
When Clark asked whether Johnson had done enough to market himself during his title run, Johnson was direct. “Did I sell myself enough? No. Because I felt my combat would do that. When I look back on my career, should I have talked more? No. I think I should have been more open about my personality, who I am now. They’re like, dude, you mistreated this guy.”
