Ex-UFC champ Demetrious Johnson sticking to retirement despite getting multiple offers

USA Today

25-03-2025

MMA retirements often times don't last. However, Demetrious Johnson is certain his is definite.
The majority of retirements in combat sports, and particularly MMA, after seemingly taken with a grain of salt. The fame, potential for financial upside, glory and competition have frequently led to athletes picking the gloves back up after putting them down. Johnson, a former UFC and ONE Championship titleholder, hasn't once contemplated making a comeback to MMA since he announced to the the world that he was done in September.
'There's no point to it,' Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. 'There's got to be a point in time when it's like, 'OK, when is it enough?' I felt that after the Adriano (Moraes) fight, this is the pinnacle. I was UFC champion, I was a ONE Championship champion, there's nothing else for me to prove here. What, make more money?'
Although Johnson made his announcement less than seven months ago, he had already been out of action for well over a year prior to that in a title defense against Moraes. He knew he was done long before sharing it with the world.
In recent month, many fans have clamored for Johnson to compete. Current UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja called him out after his most recent defense in December, but to not avail.
Johnson, 38, said numerous offers to compete again have come his way, but there's been nothing that's even slightly tempting.
'Nope, not at all,' Johnson said. 'I've had offers come in. I've had great offers, had a few offers come in, and I'm like, 'No, I'm good,' because I feel I try to be a man of my word. I told myself that I was never going to take a fight to make money. Those days of using my body to make money are over. I'm not going to sign a contract and go fight.'
Johnson is considered by many as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He still holds the record for most consecutive UFC title defenses at 11.
'Mighty Mouse' said he's firm stance on retirement, and it's made all the more easy because he has financial stability. Not only from his fighting career, but from the lines of revenue he created along the way and his growing brand as an analyst and YouTube personality.
Moreover, Johnson emphasizes above all that his decision was never made in haste, so in his mind, any road back to MMA is impossible to unwind.
'I think it was important for me to take that time,' Johnson said. 'I think as a professional athlete in mixed martial arts, you never know when it's the right time when it comes to mixed martial arts. Like, 'Oh, man. This guy is on an eight-fight winning streak, what is left for him to do? Should he keep on fighting to make money? Should he retire?' For me, I knew after that Adriano fight in Denver, Colorado, I was like, 'Oh, man. Is this all my life is meant to be? Just keep on fighting over and over again and go to the press conference?'
'So I was like, 'You know what? I'm going to see if I can be able to sustain, make money without getting punched in the face.' So I gave myself a year to see if I was going to miss it, miss the press conference, miss fighting, miss competing. And as time went on, I fell in love with competing in jiu-jitsu with the gi and I started building the YouTube and started doing the Mighty Cast, and doing different things and working on different businesses, I was like, 'Man, I really don't miss it.' I didn't want to hold up the division as well.'