Demetrious Johnson says he’s still in “physical prime” amid retirement decision

Retirement talk continues to swirl around American mixed martial arts legend Demetrious Johnson but he asserts that physically he is still in his prime and can continue if he chooses to.

‘Mighty Mouse’ was recently in action at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, which was ONE Championship’s first-ever live on-ground event in the United States that took place on May 5 in Denver, Colorado.

He defeated Brazilian rival Adriano Moraes by unanimous decision to retain the ONE flyweight world title and secure the upperhand in their head-to-head matchup in the promotion, two wins to one.

In the lead-up to ONE Fight Night 10, word circulated that it could be the swan song for the legendary career of 36-year-old Demetrious Johnson. However, no retirement announcement came after, with the flyweight MMA great instead saying that he will first weigh his options for his next move.

In an interview with the MMA Junkie, Demetrious Johnson shared that he can still go out and compete with the best in the field, saying:

“Oh yeah, I think prime-wise, when it comes to physical prime, I think it's based on the mindset, the mental, your fight IQ, and your body.”

Watch the interview below:

Such was indeed the case when he fought Adriano Moraes last time around, where he was on top of things for much of the contest and did not allow his rival to make any serious headway. He was fittingly rewarded with a unanimous decision victory.

If and when Demetrious Johnson decides to continue with his fighting career, it is widely believed that up next for him is former ONE flyweight king and current No. 2 title contender Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan, who was also a unanimous decision winner at ONE’s landmark U.S. show.

ONE Fight Night 10 took place at a sold-out 1stBank Center in Denver. Its replay is available for free via Amazon Prime in North America.