Demetrious Johnson Reveals Why he had No Trouble Walking Away from MMA
The former UFC and ONE champion explained why the transition away from MMA came naturally after one of the most successful careers in the sport.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, Demetrious Johnson accomplished almost everything the sport had to offer. The former UFC and ONE flyweight champion announced his retirement from MMA in 2024 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Speaking to MMA Junkie and other reporters during the Hall of Fame ceremony, "Mighty Mouse" explained why walking away from the sport turned out to be much easier than many people expected.
Demetrious Johnson's Decision to Retire Not Challenging
Away from MMA for more than three years, the former champion revealed that the transition to retirement happened naturally since he had always maintained a normal life outside the sport. "Mighty Mouse" also explained that having achieved everything he wanted in MMA contributed to making that decision much easier.
"So, I always kept that normal citizen life," Johnson began. "Now that I'm retired, it's been easy for me not to look at fighting because, you know, you look at the standard in mixed martial arts, you see a lot of guys (saying), 'I'm retiring because my body is giving out. I'm retiring because I'm not winning. I'm tired,' or whatever. For me, I was like, I felt like I've done everything. I don't know what else is left to do. Let me go challenge myself with my intellect, and see if I can provide for my family in that way. [...] I think for me, probably because my whole career, I've stayed humbled and had humility. You know, I never let the lights get to me."
A Sterling Career for Demetrious Johnson
Very few fighters can say they have accomplished what Johnson achieved inside the cage. After signing with the UFC in 2011, "Mighty Mouse" won the inaugural flyweight title a year later and went on to establish one of the most dominant reigns in the promotion's history. Between 2013 and 2018, the American defended the belt 11 consecutive times, tying Jon Jones for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.
After leaving the UFC in a historic trade that sent Ben Askren to the promotion, Johnson signed with ONE Championship in 2019 and added another flyweight title to his record. In May 2023, he successfully defended the belt in what would become the final MMA fight of his career.
Although retired from MMA, Johnson has remained active competing in grappling while also dedicating more time to his YouTube channel and other projects outside the cage. For now, it seems Mighty Mouse has found a new chapter outside MMA.
