Demetrious Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time but he recently decided to end his career after announcing his retirement at the ONE Championship event in Denver on Sept. 6.
It was an emotional moment for the former UFC flyweight champion after spending the past 15 years as a professional fighter but it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Johnson called it a career. After settling a trilogy with Adriano Moraes to win and defend his ONE flyweight title, Johnson started hinting that retirement was likely coming soon for him as he began turning his attention towards Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions and building his profile outside of the ring with his podcasts and other endeavors.
While he fought back the tears when making his announcement that he was retiring, Johnson already had his mind made up well ahead of that event in Denver. It turns out, Johnson’s passion for the sport started to diminish and that was the only reason he needed to hang up his gloves for good.
“I’m not going to fight anymore,” Johnson told UFC contender Merab Dvalishvili on his podcast, which was recorded prior to his announcement. “The reason why — I don’t find mixed martial arts fun anymore. The reason why, I find more fulfillment in doing jiu-jitsu because I feel it’s harder. I find more fulfillment in helping and training with different people.”
Demetrious Johnson reveals why he retired from fighting: ‘I don’t find mixed martial arts fun anymore’ - MMA Fighting
