"I'm a gi boy" - Demetrious Johnson says he'll continue competing in BJJ after officially retiring from MMA

While we'll no longer see Demetrious Johnson don the four-ounce gloves in MMA, we'll still have the pleasure of watching him compete in the Gi.

'Mighty Mouse' officially confirmed his retirement from mixed martial arts in a heartwarming speech at ONE 168: Denver at Ball Arena last Friday.

It was indeed a bitter sweet moment for fight fans across the world to see one of the greatest martial artists of all time call it a career.

However, it's not like 'DJ' will be out of the fight game for good. The 38-year-old BJJ black belt has been tearing it up in the IBJJF's gi scene and promised to continue doing so after his MMA retirement.

Demetrious Johnson shared during the ONE 168 broadcast:

"I fell in love with jiu-jitsu. I absolutely love it. It's all I think about. It's all I watch. It's kind of like my new passion, just like with mixed martial arts. When I saw 'Sugar' Rashad Evans working out, and I was home from college. I was like, you know what? I think I'd do that too, and that's where that brought me to."

The former flyweight MMA world champion continued:

"So now I'm done competing in mixed martial arts. Maybe one day you guys will see me in here grappling, do a grappling match. But right now, I'm a Gi boy. I'm a Gi boy, so I'm just going to pursue my passion for jiu-jitsu in the Gi."

Apart from jiu-jitsu, Johnson will also continue being around MMA through his growing MightyCast podcast. Who knows? Maybe we'll even see 'Mighty Mouse' calling fights in the booth in the near future.

---

Chatri Sityodtong honors Demetrious Johnson's 'fairytale' career

There's no doubt that Demetrious Johnson's name will always be included in every MMA GOAT discussion.

Even Chatri Sityodtong, who's been around the best combat sports athletes in the world over the years, is in absolute awe of 'Mighty Mouse's unworldly accomplishments.

The ONE Chairman and CEO said during the ONE 168 broadcast:

"If you were going to create the ultimate, the best fighter on the planet, he has all the skill sets. And if you think about it, he conquered the West and he conquered the East. There's no other mountain he can climb. I mean, this guy has an unbelievable story, a fairytale story."

Prime Video subscribers in North America can rewatch Johnson's amazing retirement speech, along with the full ONE 168 card, on demand.