Demetrious Johnson says ONE Fight Night 10 fight could be his last: ‘It could be, I’ve been doing this for 18 years’
Demetrious Johnson‘s next fight inside the ONE Circle could end up being his last.
On May 5, ‘Mighty Mouse’ will head to the 1stBank Center in Colorado for ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. The event will serve as ONE Championship‘s long-awaited North American debut and feature some of the biggest names in combat sports. Headlining the historic evening will be Demetrious Johnson who puts his ONE flyweight world championship on the line against three-time titleholder Adriano Moraes in a highly anticipated trilogy bout.
Originally planning to continue fighting for another four years, Demetrious Johnson suggested that the light at the end of the tunnel is far closer than he expected. In an interview with The Score, ‘Mighty Mouse’ revealed that his “four more years” estimate was definitely not going to happen.
“That’s not f*cking happening,” Johnson said. “I’ll tell you that: That’s not happening. F*ck no.”
In fact, ONE Fight Night 10 could very well be the last chance fans have to see Demetrious Johnson in action. Asked if his third meeting with Adriano Moraes could be his last, ‘Mighty Mouse’ said:
“It could be,” Johnson said. “You never know.”
After dominating inside the Octagon for seven years, Demetrious Johnson was sent to ONE Championship in a historic trade between the two promotions. ‘Mighty Mouse’ immediately made waves, winning the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament, earning an opportunity to challenge then-flyweight champion, Adriano Moraes. Coming up short in his first world title opportunity in April 2021, Johnson would finally capture the 26 pounds of ONE gold, scoring a brilliant fourth-round flying-knee knockout against Moraes in their August 2022 rematch.
With the two flyweight icons deadlocked at 1-1, ONE Fight Night 10 has set the stage for one of the greatest trilogies in combat sports history.
Demetrious Johnson is Ready to Slow Down and Enjoy Life with His Family
With all the success he has achieved after nearly two decades of dominance, Demetrious Johnson revealed that many of his close friends question why he continues to fight. Well, the answer is quite simple.
“I talk to my close friends who don’t do mixed martial arts and they’re like, ‘What else are you trying to prove?'” Johnson said. “And I’m like, ‘I’m trying to get this money, I’m trying to get this bag.'”
However, ‘Mighty Mouse’ realizes that money isn’t everything. Every time he travels to fight or dives head-first into a 12-week training camp, he’s missing out on precious time with his children.
“Right now, the kids are at the beach, having a good time, enjoying life, feeding seals, and that’s stuff that I’m missing,” Johnson said. “My kids will only be nine, eight, and four once. I think after this fight, I’ll decide what I want to do. I want to compete in IBJJF in my Gi and work toward my black belt. … But I don’t want to fight for two more years. I have no interest. When I hear two more years, I’m like, ‘Ew, that sounds horrible.'”
Debuting as an amateur in 2006, Johnson transitioned to professional MMA in 2009. Fighting under the King of the Cage and WEC labels, ‘Mighty Mouse’ made his UFC debut at UFC 126 in 2011. Originally competing as a bantamweight, Johnson became the promotion’s first-ever flyweight titleholder, running through Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez to capture UFC gold. He successfully defended the title an unprecedented 11 times before dropping a split decision to former two-division champion Henry Cejudo.
It was then that Johnson was traded to ONE Championship where he picked up right where he left off.
“I’ve been doing this for 18 years – ever since I was 18 years old,” Johnson said. “At some point, if you stay at the party for too long, you end up drunk. I don’t want to get drunk.”
