Another year has come and gone. Where does the time go? Fortunately, we’ve still got some time before the old year goes into the books to think about more great nicknames in MMA.
You might recall that earlier on in 2024, MMA Sucka presented the first session of The All-Nicknames Club. With there being very little in the way of live MMA going on during the midst of this festive season, there’s no time like the present to revisit this topic.
In case any of you missed the first session of the club, we established a set of some ground rules, among them being the fact that this club is treated the same way as a working document and new fighters can be added at any moment.
First of the Nicknames in Session Two: Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson
Entrant number one in our sophomore session is a recent retiree of combat sports, former ONE Flyweight MMA Champion and UFC Bantamweight Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (25-4-1 MMA, 5-2 ONE Championship.) Back in 2018, Johnson found himself as a component of a rare trade in combat sports.
The details of the transaction were as follows: The UFC traded away Johnson’s services to ONE in exchange for Ben Askren (19-2, 1 NC MMA, 6-0, 1 NC ONE Championship) a former lightweight (170 lbs) champion.
Aside from Johnson having one of the coolest nicknames in the sport of MMA, the trade paid off handsomely for him in the aftermath. During a 2022 interview with USA Today’s MMA Junkie, “Mighty Mouse” had this to say about the deal:
“I think everybody won, not just the organizations, but I think everybody: Ben Askren, Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, myself. When I say we all won, we’re all eating good now.”
“Mighty Mouse” Retires as Champ
Upon joining ONE’s active roster in March of 2019, “Mighty Mouse” won three consecutive fights, extending a winning streak dating back to his tenure in the UFC, parlaying that into a ONE Flyweight Championship in October of that year.
He then regained the title during a rematch vs. Adriano Moraes in ONE’s first card on Amazon Prime Video in August of 2022 before leaving the sport behind this past September.
Next Inductee in The All-Nicknames Club: Ben “Funky” Askren
Let’s shift gears now and talk about the other half of the 2018 trade between UFC and ONE Championship. The latter fighter was a champion in his own right in ONE, former lightweight titlist Ben Askren, nicknamed “Funky.”
Not long before Demetrious Johnson made his ONE promotional debut in March of 2019, “Funky” made his first appearance in Dana White’s promotion. During Askren’s first UFC appearance, he finished Robbie Lawler (30-16, 1 NC MMA, 15-10 UFC) by way of bulldog choke.
Fortunes Change for Askren in Viral Fashion
In the immediate aftermath of that stoppage win against Lawler, Ben Askren would make his UFC pay-per-view debut that July during UFC 239 against Jorge Masvidal. Blow-by-blow commentator Jon Anik couldn’t even get the sponsor plug for Modelo out quickly enough before Masvidal unloaded with a flying knee to drop Askren in just five seconds’ time.
His UFC tenure notwithstanding, Ben Askren had one of the great nicknames in MMA.
Last of the Nicknames in Session Two: Urijah “The California Kid” Faber
We close out the sophomore session of The All-Nicknames Club with a fighter who’s since turned his attention to the promotional side of MMA, Urijah Faber, also known as “The California Kid.”
Faber turned in a 35-11 record during his career as an MMA fighter between 2003 and 2019, retiring from the sport in the fall of 2016 before resuming his career in the summer of 2019. In recent years, he’s competed in grappling and combat jiu-jitsu matches, including a contest in his own A1 Combat versus Jeff Glover during the Memorial Day holiday weekend in May of this year.
From holding the WEC Featherweight Championship, to having a hall of fame career in the sport, “The California Kid” is the seventh entrant in The All-Nicknames Club.
Meeting Adjourned
With that, we’ll put a pin in this meeting of the club. Be sure to join us again next time for more great nicknames.
