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Demetrious Johnson, one of the most successful fighters in MMA history, has recently revealed that retirement is a possibility after his upcoming trilogy fight with Adriano Moraes. Johnson, who is currently 36 years old, has had an illustrious career in the sport, having won titles in both the UFC and ONE Championship.
Johnson's upcoming trilogy fight with Moraes is set to take place on May 5th in Colorado, USA. The two have split their previous two meetings, with Moraes winning the first fight by unanimous decision in April 2021, and Johnson winning the second fight by second-round knockout in August 2021.
Johnson's retirement would mark the end of an era in MMA, as he has been one of the most dominant fighters in the sport over the past decade. He began his career in the UFC in 2010 and quickly rose through the ranks to become the flyweight champion. He held the title for nearly six years, making a record 11 title defenses before losing to Henry Cejudo in 2018.
After leaving the UFC, Johnson signed with ONE Championship, where he won the flyweight Grand Prix and became the promotion's flyweight champion. He was defeated in the title fight at first before regaining it back from Moraes in their second meeting.
Throughout his career, Johnson has been known for his speed, technical ability, and impeccable conditioning. He is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA history, and his retirement would be a major loss for the sport.
Demetrious Johnson spoke with TheScore about retiring in a recent interview. The ONE Championship flyweight champion there acknowledged that he had changed his original goals. Johnson said he anticipated continuing to battle for four more years in March 2021.
Johnson seems to have altered his perspective, though.
He said he had no intention to engage in combat for the next two years in the interview. Johnson has hinted that his trilogy showdown with Moraes may be his final fight.
“That’s not f—–g happening,” Johnson said regarding his original retirement plans. “I’ll tell you that: That’s not happening. F–k no… It could be [my last fight], You never know… I talk to my close friends who don’t do mixed martial arts and they’re like, ‘What else are you trying to prove?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m trying to get this money, I’m trying to get this bag.'”
He continued, “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’… I’ve been doing this for 18 years – ever since I was 18 years old. At some point, if you stay at the party for too long, you end up drunk. I don’t want to get drunk.”