UFC undisputed flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson continues to blaze new trails as a competitive staple with legions of fans, and that’s just outside the famed octagon. The man known as Mighty Mouse has established himself as a fixture in gaming circles, not only for his popular Twitch channel, which he launched in Oct. 2015, but also through his recent affiliation with Northern Gaming, marking the first MMA fighter to partner with an esports organization.
Tuesday saw Johnson join Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Jessica Chobot (gaming host), Eric Pope (Ubisoft) and James Vendenberghe (Ubisoft) for an exclusive live-stream launch of Ubisoft’s For Honor, available in Open Beta though Feb. 12, where Cynopsis was able to ask him about his gaming endeavors.
On gaming: I got into gaming when I was a kid. As a kid from a low-income household, there weren’t a lot of things to do for entertainment, like going to the movies or going to the mall for shopping. The one thing we did for entertainment was play video games. The first game I remember playing was Contra 2 with my Mom. Since that moment, I’ve been in love with playing video games. Throughout my life, I’ve had tons of gaming consoles, from Nintendo to Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game cast, Game Cube, Xbox One, PC’s, etc., etc. Now, as an adult, gaming is one of my main hobbies, whether it’s when I’m in-between training sessions preparing for my next fight or when I’m just relaxing.
On favorites: All of them! As a kid, I would play Street Fighter, Castlevania, Zelda, Turtles in Time, etc. I don’t think there was a bad game I grew up playing. Right now, my favorite game is H1Z1!
On launching a Twitch channel: I launched my Twitch channel to better engage with my fans on a different level. Normally, my fans only see me when I’m competing in the Octagon. My fans don’t get a chance to see my real personality because when UFC Fight Week comes, I’m cutting weight, drinking two gallons of water daily, dieting and focused on the upcoming fight. Launching my channel allowed fans to both see and relate to my other side, while interacting on something I’m extremely passionate about, video games. Fans can also ask questions. It’s great to be a part of and help build a community that’s as passionate about fighting and gaming that I am.
On his partnership with Northern Gaming: Right now I’m an influencer and I’m trying to help get their name out there in the gaming landscape. When they initially approached me, we spoke about esports in general and they offered to help me out with a potential esports team. With exposure through my Twitch channel coupled with my interest in esports, I’m an influencer and hopefully we can help them continue to expand their footprint. We don’t have any financial agreements, it’s just mutual assistance pushing each other’s platforms. It’s fun, I’m really enjoying it.
On the biggest challenge to esports: I think right now they are doing an amazing job. One thing I’d like to see them do to continue its growth is to offer more games. Ubisoft’s For Honor is a great stepping stone and hopefully they’ll add another esports fighting game. Right now, they just have Street Fighter 5 and I’m sure they’ll add Tekken 7 as well. I would like to see them add more variety to go along with DOTA 2, League of Legends, Counter Strike and StarCraft II.
