Heavy favorite Demetrious Johnson not taking Japanese foe lightly in 1st ONE fight

Demetrious Johnson is making his debut in ONE Championship.

TOKYO, Japan—Demetrious Johnson is undeniably the overwhelming pick when he makes his keenly-awaited debut for ONE Championship against Yuya Wakamatsu on Sunday night.

But despite being heavily favored, Johnson vowed to guard himself against complacency.

READ: ONE: Yuya Wakamatsu looking for knockout against debuting Demetrious Johnson

“I’m not taking Yuya Wakamatsu lightly. I just want to go out there and do what I do best, be the best Demetrious Johnson I can be,” he said during a press conference Thursday.

.@MightyMouse, who many regard as MMA's pound-for-pound greatest, is set to make his @ONEChampionship debut this Sunday.

Here, he talks about his foray into the Flyweight Grand Prix, @TeamLakay, the fight stable's Danny Kingad, and Asian fighters. #ANewEra | @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/n6aogUgeVf

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) March 29, 2019

Johnson and Wakamatsu mix it up in a Flyweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal as part of a mouth-watering fight card in ONE’s inaugural show in Japan.

The 32-year-old Johnson owns a 27-3 record and has never been stopped throughout his career.

Counted out, Wakamatsu aims to deliver a big-time upset against one of the top pound-for-pound fighters ever.

Wakamatsu’s resume may be nowhere near Johnson’s but the hard-hitting Japanese has shown he has knockout power to overcome a seemingly insurmountable hurdle.

“This is the next step in my evolution as an athlete. It should be interesting. For me it’s a long time coming, fighting in front of my Japanese fan base,” Johnson said.