The legendary career of Demetrious Johnson came to a close at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, Sep. 6.
The ONE flyweight MMA champion walked to the ONE Championship Circle inside Ball Arena and announced he was pulling the plug on his MMA career.
In the press conference after the thrilling event, “Mighty Mouse” revealed that the plan had long been in the works, but he just wanted to make sure he was making the right decision.
“I knew I was going to retire after I fought Adriano the third time after I did the press conference. I had my kids. I was walking, and I was like, ‘Damn, is this what my life is right here? Is this it,’” Johnson recalled to ONE.
“And I was like, ‘I’m going to take a year off, keep on training, and see if I miss it.’ Because I didn’t want to be the athlete who just retires and I’m back home and I’m training, and I’m like ‘Oh man, I wish I could unretire. I want to come back and fight.’ And then come back out of retirement and fight again.”
“So, my New Year’s resolution this year was that I was going to force myself not to fight. I need to start using my brain, my intellect, my charisma, my creativity to start making money and building my brand.”
“I was sitting at home, and I was like, ‘I don’t miss it.’ It’s a young man’s game. I’m 38 years old. I’m spending time with my kids and my wife, and I just knew that this was the right time to do it.”
Johnson leaned upon the expertise of other legends who have exited MMA over the years when considering his options.
Although adamant he could continue competing, the Washington native feels he has nothing left to prove and wants to preserve his health for other ventures.
“It was a little bit [of a sigh of relief]. I knew already that I was in that chapter in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m gonna miss it because I know I can still fight, but there comes a point in time where the athlete just goes, ‘I’m done. I don’t want to stay too long at the party,’” Johnson said.
“I just want to enjoy what I’ve done and walk away. And I talked to a lot of guys – GSP was one. He was like, ‘There’s always going to be another guy.’ That’s why he retired. Urijah Faber, he was like, ‘We only get a short amount of time in our life where we could be a professional athlete and fight at the highest level.’”
“So it is pretty hard, but I am relieved to be able to say I’m finally done.”
Unsurprisingly for the MMA icon, he planned to fade away without a fuss. However, he was talked into making a public statement for his fans.
Johnson is happy that he was persuaded by his wife, Destiny, and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
ONE has been exceptional about honoring those who choose to walk away. Last October, Angela Lee decided to retire from MMA, and the promotion gave her a chance to do it live inside the Circle as a way of honoring her.
“For me, I was going to do it kind of silently, but after talking to Chatri, talking to my wife, they were like, ‘Well, it’s not always about you. It’s about your fans,’” Johnson remarked.
“And I’m grateful I did it the way I did. I think the package that ONE Championship and Chatri put together was absolutely amazing.”
With championships lining his walls, there is little doubt that “Mighty Mouse” will live long amongst the best that have ever competed in MMA.
However, if given the choice, he wants to be known for being humble and grinding away to get better every single day in and out of the gym.
“I’ve never thought about my legacy. [I’m a] hard worker. I’d probably say from what I’ve achieved in mixed martial arts, I’d say I’m the easiest athlete to work with. Never failed a drug test. Every single time USADA came to me, I made it happen,” Johnson said.
“I always showed up when I fought. So, I would say a hard worker, a great athlete, and a good student.”