The most accomplished flyweight MMA fighter of all time, Demetrious Johnson, has decided to call it a career.
38-year-old Johnson announced his retirement on Friday night as part of ONE 168 from Denver, Colorado, USA.
“Like I said last time, when I came here in Denver, Colorado, that was potentially my last fight. 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,” he said to the live crowd.
Johnson leaves behind an incredibly decorated career in MMA, holding titles in a pair of prominent promotions and being the singular name that defined an era for the 125-pound weight class.
Johnson made his pro debut in 2009, joining notable promotion WEC after scoring a trio of wins on the regional scene. He debuted on the UFC roster in 2011 after WEC was bought and subsequently merged with the top fight brand.
He became the first-ever UFC Flyweight Champion in 2012, defeating Joseph Benavidez via split decision to kick off a lengthy run in the division.
“Mighty Mouse” will best be remembered for his incredibly dominant run as UFC Flyweight Champion, holding the title for a whopping 2,142 days. He defended his belt 11 times over the course of a half-decade, the longest consecutive reign of title wins in the promotion’s history.
An upset loss to Henry Cejudo via split decision in 2018 put Johnson’s unprecedented flyweight reign to an end and also marked the conclusion of his run with the UFC. In an incredibly rare instance of promotions trading talent, Johnson was sent to Singapore-based promotion ONE Championship in exchange for wrestling expert Ben Askren.
Johnson’s run in ONE most notably had a rivalry with promotional vet Adriano Moraes, with the talents meeting in a trio of title bouts since 2021.
Moraes became the first and only man to finish Johnson in 2021, catching him with a second-round combination of shots to stop the former UFC champ from gaining a ONE title in his first-ever attempt.
Johnson and Moraes rematched the following year, headlining ONE’s debut show on Amazon Prime Video. Johnson avenged his loss with a brutal fourth-round finish, knocking Moraes out with a slick combination on the feet.
The duo met once again last year as part of ONE’s first-ever card in America, with Johnson grinding out a five-round unanimous decision win to end their rivalry.
Johnson, who says he plans to focus on competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu following the end of his MMA career, was inducted into ONE Championship’s newly-formed Hall of Fame. It is likely that he will also be in discussion to join UFC’s Hall of Fame once the next class comes around in 2025.
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