Demetrious Johnson’s submission victory over Wilson Reis didn’t catch Bibiano Fernandes off guard.
Fernandes, who is the reigning ONE bantamweight champion, trains with Johnson. He has seen “Mighty Mouse” go from struggling on the mat during training, to being perhaps the most dominant title holder in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history.
Speaking with MMAJunkie.com, Fernandes explained why he wasn’t surprised to see Johnson submit Reis:
“I wasn’t surprised, because MMA is different. You can be a good jiu-jitsu fighter, but when you get punched, and kneed in the face, things start to change. Jiu-jitsu is jiu-jitsu. I promise you this: If D.J. fights Wilson Reis in a grappling match, it will be a good fight, but he will for sure not submit Wilson. But there are no (jiu-jitsu) belts in MMA. When I first started helping with his camps, I finished him all the time. He said that, too, in interviews. But then he started evolving. He wanted to learn. He asked where he was making mistakes, why he couldn’t finish it this way, why things happened that way. I started showing him, and he got it. Now, training with him is tough. He’s gotten tough, very good on the ground.”
