Mixed martial arts legend, former ONE Championship and UFC flyweight king, and now-retired athlete 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson hung up his gloves for good at ONE 168: Denver last weekend.
The blockbuster event took place live at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Sept. 6. And much to the shock of many, Johnson spent a final moment in the circle overcome with emotion, as he announced his retirement from MMA.
Speaking to veteran ONE Championship broadcast analyst Mitch 'The Dragon' Chilson, Johnson delivered a moving speech.
'Mighty Mouse' said:
"First off, I want to say thank you so much to the fans. You guys have always been amazing to me, to live out my dreams and show my passion through martial arts. I want to say thank you to all of my teammates from the very beginning, back in 2006 over to 2024, it's been a long journey."
He then thanked the important people in his life:
"Thank you to Matt [Hume]. Thank you to my wife. Thank you to my children, my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law. Yeah. Thank you to you guys. You guys have made me a better person, a better athlete. Thank you to my wife for always encouraging me to pursue my passion and my dreams. Thank you to everybody at ONE Championship. The staff, the competition team, the social media team, all of you guys. I appreciate you. Thank you to Chatri for giving me the opportunity to display my martial arts on this platform.
"I am done. I am done competing in mixed martial arts, and I want to say thank you guys so much for giving me the opportunity. I appreciate you guys."
Demetrious Johnson thanks formerly estranged father for rebuilding relationship
Among the people Demetrious Johnson thanked in his retirement speech was his formerly estranged father.
Johnson said he never knew his father growing up, and that it was only in the last few years that he made the effort to reach out and get to know him. It's a decision he is grateful that he made.
He said:
"Thank you to my dad. He's been in my life for the last eight years has been absolutely amazing. To my children, I love you guys. You guys are absolutely amazing. You guys do whatever you want in life, as long as you guys are good people. My wife, I love you."