UFC announced during Fight Night 271 that Demetrious Johnson would be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Modern Wing this year. 

Johnson was in attendance for Fight Night 271 on Saturday, headlined by Israel Adesanya versus Joe Pyfer at middleweight, and was shown during the event alongside his family as his induction was announced. 

“Taking his rightful place. Mighty Mouse becomes the newest athlete to join the UFC Hall of Fame,” the announcement read via X. 

TAKING HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE 🏆@MightyMouse becomes the newest athlete to join the UFC Hall of Fame! pic.twitter.com/bRkwiW31fS

— UFC (@ufc) March 29, 2026

Johnson inaugurated the UFC Flyweight Championship in 2012, reigning for 2142 days until 2018 and setting a record for longest reign in the division, including 12 fights with the title on the line. He left UFC after being traded to ONE for Ben Askren in 2018, going on to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix and then the Flyweight Championship before retiring in 2024, becoming the first inductee into ONE’s Hall of Fame. 

“Feels good. It’s been a long time coming… It’s about damn time,” Johnson said about his induction in a video posted to X. 

“Demetrious Johnson is the greatest flyweight of all-time,” said UFC President Dana White. “Demetrious was a great champion who had one of the most incredible careers in MMA, and his streak of 11 consecutive title defenses is one of the most remarkable records we’ve ever seen in professional sports. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”

Johnson will be the 18th member of the Modern Wing, dedicated to fighters who turned professional after November 17, 2000. He joins the fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk versus Weili Zhang at UFC 248 in 2020 in the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2026, with that being the first women’s fight to receive the honor.