For demetrious Johnson, smoking weeds completely changed the game.
Once upon a time, marijuana was a big no-no in mixed martial arts. Nick Diaz was hit with a massive five-year suspension and a $165,000 fine after testing positive for a marijuana metabolite related to his fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 183. Of course, Diaz appealed the decision, and his suspension reduced to 18 months, but still.
Diaz’s brother Nate Diaz is also famous for his sticky taste.
However, today’s weeds are no longer considered a prohibited substance by the USADA or UFC, so fighters can take advantage of many benefits during their training.
When he appeared on the Jaxxon Podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, “Mighty Mouse” revealed that he recently began smoking and quickly realized the impact it had on his training.
“I’ve only just started smoking weeds recently,” Johnson said. “Yeah, that’s phenomenal, I burned in the gym once and did 15 rounds the next day. I was faster.”
Sean O’Malley discusses his marijuana use with demetrious Johnson
Interestingly, Johnson had a detailed conversation last year with Avid Cannabis user “Sugar” Sean O’Malley. In their conversation, the former UFC bantamweight champion revealed that he regularly uses marijuana for training with low impact.
“It evaporates especially at camp,” O’Malley explained on Johnson’s YouTube channel. Workout, I do a f*cking just throwing a stone from my boobs.
“If you can use marijuana as a tool, you can hyperfocus any task, but that can be done in its own right.
Demetrious Johnson retired from MMA in September and ruled as one flyweight world champion, but he still competes regularly in the BJJ tournaments. In 2023 he took home the gold while competing as a brown belt at the IBJJF Masters World Championships in Las Vegas. The following year he competed as a black belt, but suffered a submission loss in his fourth match in the tournament.