Victor Hugo Waited Nine Years To Break His Tie With Devhonte Johnson
Back when Victor Hugo and Devhonte “Bones” Johnson were purple belts, they split two matches. Nearly a decade later, ONE Championship is giving them the decider.
The two heavyweights meet in an openweight submission grappling clash at ONE Fight Night 49: Gabriel vs. Magomedov on Prime Video on Friday, November 6, live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The bout also launches ONE’s heavyweight grappling era.
Hugo, 29, arrives fresh off sweeping the +99kg division at the 2026 ADCC World Championships, where he submitted all four opponents. The four-time IBJJF World Champion won their first meeting at the 2016 IBJJF Worlds with a flying triangle.
Johnson evened the score at the 2017 Europeans. Hugo has never forgotten either match, and he has never found footage of his win.
“In the first match, I won by submission. It was actually a pretty cool submission that I could not find the footage for all these years. When he beat me, there were a few highlights. But yeah, it’s 1-1,” Hugo said.
“This match came at a great moment. We have a history. I had to wait nine years for this rematch. I look forward to getting a chance to take that one back.”
Johnson, an IBJJF No-Gi World Champion from Unity Jiu-Jitsu, accepted the bout after a single offer from ONE Vice President of Grappling Tom DeBlass. Despite winning their most recent match, he is wiping the slate clean.
“We’re both different people, different athletes. We’re probably much more physically mature than we were back then,” Johnson said.
“The only thing that you can take away is the fact that you’ve done it already, so you can do it again. I think that goes both ways, since we both have had victories over one another. You have to forget what’s happened in the past.”
Their first two meetings came in the gi. This time, the trilogy will be settled in no-gi on the global stage.
Johnson respects Hugo’s movement for a man his size. Even so, he does not consider himself an underdog in the slightest.
“I’m just gonna do my best to apply my game. If I get to my preferred finishing situations, I can finish anyone, especially if you let me lock my hands around your head and your arm. I’m pretty confident,” he said.
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