Demetrious Johnson Admits It’s ‘Definitely Possible’ Next Fight Could Be His Last
The finish line could be near for one of the greatest fighters of his generation.
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“It’s definitely possible,” Johnson said “Being 36, I sit down with the wife and kids, even my close friends, my inner circle who they don’t watch mixed martial arts, they don’t train, they all have normal citizen jobs you could say, and sometimes I sit there and think, how much more do I need to do? How much more do I want to do?
“I’ve stated in a couple of interviews, I want to compete in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu in IBJJF, because my kids are doing it, too.
There comes a point where it’s like how much more do I need to
do?”
Johnson is one of the greatest flyweight fighters of all time and one of the top pound-for-pound competitors of his generation. He’s managed to maintain his success since leaving the UFC for One Championship, where he has captured the promotion’s flyweight (135-pound) belt.
As it currently stands, “Mighty Mouse” hasn’t made up his mind regarding his next move, but retirement is definitely a possibility.
“We’ll go out there and fight, win, lose, draw, I’m going to go on vacation with my wife and kids, put my feet in the sand and think do I want to continue to fight, or do I want to focus on something else.”
And if he does decide it’s the end, it would take a special offer to lure him into a comeback fight.
“For me, I’ve been grinding so I think if I do step away, I don’t see myself coming back unless something just falls in my lap like I’ve got to go back and do it,” Johnson said. “We’ll see.
“I hope [I wouldn’t come back]. Unless it’s some significant amount of number to where it’s like — and I’ll tell everybody the number like, ‘This is why I’m coming back, boys, I couldn’t pass it up, here we are back again.’”
One on Prime Video 10 takes place on May 5 at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., and is headlined by a the title bout between Johnson and Moraes.
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