Getty Demetrious Johnson
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson may retire from mixed martial arts after his upcoming bout.
The current ONE 135-pound champion, which is the Asian promotion’s flyweight division, will battle Adriano Moraes in a trilogy bout on May 5. ONE Fight Night 10 marks the first US-based event in the company’s history, and it’ll take place at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Moraes is the man responsible for handing “Mighty Mouse” the first-ever knockout loss of his illustrious 24-4-1 professional MMA career in 2021.
They rematched last year and Johnson earned revenge by knocking out the Brazilian with a knee, the same tool Moraes used in their first outing.
Johnson Said It’s ‘Definitely Possible’ He’ll Retire After ONE Fight Night 10
Johnson recently spoke with Ariel Helwani on MMA Fightings’s “The MMA Hour” ahead of their third meeting. And Mighty Mouse left the door open to a potential exit from the sport — win, lose or draw.
“It’s definitely possible [this is my last fight],” Johnson said. “Being 36, I sit down with the wife and kids, even my close friends, my inner circle who don’t watch mixed martial arts, they don’t train, they all have normal citizen jobs you could say, and sometimes I sit there and think, how much more do I need to do? How much more do I want to do?
“I’ve stated in a couple of interviews, I want to compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in IBJJF, because my kids are doing it, too. There comes a point where it’s like how much more do I need to do?”
Mighty Mouse also scoffed at the idea of fighting in two years.
Johnson Is Inspired By Other Ex-UFC Champions Who Have Diversified the Way They Make Money
Even though Mighty Mouse said that physically he could stick around for “three or four more years,” he’s nearing the end of the line. Johnson runs a successful gaming YouTube channel, and he’s drawn inspiration from fellow former UFC champions like Henry Cejudo and Tyron Woodley — fighters who have managed to make a living outside of active combat.
“I look at my peers that are kind of my generation, like Khabib [Nurmagomedov], even Henry Cejudo,” Johnson said. “I almost kind of got inspired by him the first time we trained together. Like dude, you’ve been out for three years, how are you making a living? [Cejudo] goes ‘I’m hustling, I’m making good money. I don’t need to come back to fighting. I’m coming back because I want to.’
“You look at Tyron Woodley, he’s out there hustling, so I feel that there has to come a point in there where I have to force myself [to retire]. We’ve relied on my body and my athleticism to pay my bills. It’s time to start looking at other avenues to bring in revenue, to sustain my lifestyle. So we’ll see.
“We’ll go out there and fight, win, lose, draw, I’m going to go on vacation with my wife and kids, put my feet in the sand and think do I want to continue to fight, or do I want to focus on something else.”