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Demetrious Johnson credits the advice he received from his fellow MMA legends for helping him accept a life-altering decision. After 18 years of dedicating his entire being to mixed martial arts, 'Mighty Mouse' announced his retirement from the sport in an emotionally charged farewell at ONE 168: Denver at the Ball Arena last Friday on Sept. 6.
Speaking during the event's post-event presser, Johnson revealed he spoke with retired MMA greats Georges St-Pierre and Urijah Faber, who both prepared him for life after fighting.
"I just wanna enjoy what I’ve done and walk away. And I talked to a lot of guys, GSP was another one he was like ‘Dude, there’s always another guy, there’s gonna be always another guy.’ That’s why he retired."
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The former flyweight MMA world champion continued:
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"Urijah Faber, he was like ‘Dude, 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."
There's no doubt that Demetrious Johnson will always be included in the Mount Rushmore of MMA GOAT candidates. 'DJ' was truly one of a kind and it was an absolute pleasure to fight fans around the world to witness his greatness.
Watch the full ONE 168: Denver post-event press conference:
Demetrious Johnson says he came to terms with retirement after MMA break
Retirement talks hounded Demetrious Johnson after he beat Adriano Moraes in their epic trilogy at ONE Fight Night 10 last year. Instead of making a rash decision, 'DJ' took a year off to assess things. Needless to say, he made the right choice.
'Mighty Mouse' shared:
"I was sitting at home, I was like, ‘I don’t miss it.’ Like, it’s a young man’s game, I’m 38 years old, I’m spending time with my kids, my wife, and I just knew that this was the right time to do it."
The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for those with a Prime Video subscription in North America.
