LAS VEGAS — There was a time when Demetrious Johnson, the UFC's reigning flyweight champion, mostly kept his mouth shut.
He garnered a reputation as a quiet and humble fighter who never rocked the boat. He said the right things at the right time. He was a nice guy who used nice language and was perhaps the kind of fighter you could use as an example for your friends who don't watch mixed martial arts, as if to say: Hey, look at this guy. Not every fighter is a meat head. Look how nice he is!
Those days appear to be over.