Mixed fortunes for ‘Mighty Mouse’ and Eddie Alvarez on ONE debuts

Former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson had mixed success as they made their ONE debuts this weekend.

The Singapore-based promotion subtitled its inaugural Japanese event ‘A New Era’, and in many ways, it lived up to its name. Four titles were on the line (with two changing hands) on the night, but the main allure of ONE Championship’s 93rd event for Western fans was undoubtedly the respective debuts of ‘DJ’ and Alvarez, two established stars stateside.

A New Era for ONE

Johnson, whose six-year reign over the UFC flyweight division came to an end last year, was traded to the promotion back in October in exchange for outspoken welterweight Ben Askren. Alvarez, meanwhile, was snapped up from free agency, having fulfilled the remainder of his UFC contract with a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier last July.

Much was expected from the pair in their maiden promotional appearance, despite both men coming in on the back of defeats. Alvarez was the first of the duo to feature on the night, facing off against Russian Timofey Nastyukhin in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal matchup. For Alvarez, as it was for Johnson, this actually represented a step up in weight class, as ONE utilises different boundaries to most MMA organisations for its divisions.

Alvarez upset by unfancied Russian

Timofey Nastyukhin SHOCKS THE 🌏! The Russian warrior knocks out Eddie Alvarez at 4:05 of Round 1 to advance in the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix! #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/YxUV0TSnFR

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

Despite being at his heaviest for over ten years, the Philadelphia native was troubled by his unfancied opponent’s power early in round one, being dropped within two minutes by a hard right hand. Despite seeming to recover, Alvarez continued to be pressured, and the upset was completed when Nastyukhin’s heavy hands forced him to a knee with a minute on the clock, relentlessly raining down bombs before the referee stepped in.

DJ victorious over game Wakamatsu

Johnson, meanwhile, also found himself as a heavy favourite against Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu, a fighter with nine knockouts in his ten victories. Wakamatsu proved his credentials by twice wobbling ‘Mighty Mouse’ in the opening two stanzas of the contest. DJ’s superior grappling skills ultimately proved to be too good, however, and he was able to secure a beautiful guillotine that forced the tap 2:40 into round two.

Demetrious Johnson makes a STATEMENT in his ONE debut, submitting Yuya Wakamatsu with a tight guillotine choke at 2:40 of Round 2! @MightyMouse #WeAreONE #ANewEra #Tokyo #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/K4yOpTfmQJ

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2019

Johnson now advances to the flyweight grand prix semifinals with a renewed confidence, while 35-year-old Eddie Alvarez must now be questioning whether signing for ONE was the correct decision.