Ex-UFC champ Demetrious Johnson sticking to retirement despite getting multiple offers
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.'
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Brothers bring boxing back to Fenway after 70 years and hope to revitalize the sport in Boston
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You can't you can't beat it. There's nothing comparable.' A rich history Boston has played a long and impressive role in American boxing history and the development of the sport itself, said Johnson, author of 'Field of Our Fathers, An Illustrated History of Fenway Park.' Advertisement The city was home to 'Boston's Strong Boy,' John L. Sullivan, born in 1858 to Irish immigrant parents and widely considered America's first sports superstar. The first heavyweight champion of the world, he was as famous as Muhammad Ali was in his time. Sam Langford, a Black Canadian-born boxer, moved to Boston as a teenager but was blocked from competing in the world championships by racist policies and is considered one of the greatest non-champions in boxing. Other boxing stars with Boston connections include Marvin Hagler and Rocky Marciano of nearby Brockton. 'The Boston Bomber' Tony DeMarco, whose statue raises his fists at passersby in Boston's North End, was the last fighter to win in the ring at Fenway in 1956. For a time after it was built, Fenway Park was the only outdoor venue with a significant seating capacity in Boston, making it a destination for all kinds of events, including boxing starting in 1920. After new owners took over in 2002, the park became a venue for a variety of activities, including concerts and sporting events such as hockey, snowboarding, Irish football and curling. 'Back in the day, it was sort of the Swiss Army knife of sports facilities in Boston. And it's returned to that — a little bit of everything. So, returning boxing to the park is just a nod to the past," Johnson said. Other venues can feel 'more corporate and sterile,' but Fenway is living history, said Johnson, who calls it the 'largest open-air museum in New England.' A different pitch Mark Nolan said it's not for lack of trying that no one has hosted a boxing fight at Fenway in almost 70 years. But many promoters couldn't make a pitch that landed with ballpark management. Advertisement The Nolans, who teach full time and own a boxing gym in Waltham where people can train regardless of their ability to pay, were different. After success hosting events at other venues, Mark Nolan said Fenway Sports Group connected to their 'everyman' appeal and decided to give them a shot. The brothers fell in love with boxing while accompanying their father, a boat captain, to the gym as kids. When they expanded from coaching amateur boxers to professionals five years ago, they were dismayed by what they found: shows full of uneven fights set up to make the promoters as much money as possible, with established amateurs fighting people who 'have no right putting gloves on in any capacity whatsoever' in venues like high school gymnasiums. Fighters weren't being paid fairly and contracts weren't transparent. They came up with a simple business plan: pick good venues, pay fighters well and only host matches in Boston proper. They said a lot of promoters sell fighters, but they're focused on selling fights fans want to see. 'They're making sure that every fight is well-matched,' said Thomas 'The Kid' O'Toole, a fighter from rural Galway, Ireland, who has lived in Boston for the past two years, 'Nobody wants to see someone go in and just knock their opponent out right away and beat them up for four, six, eight rounds. They want to see a competitive fight.' O'Toole went professional in 2021 and is undefeated with 13 fights. He said his fight against St. Louis-born Vaughn 'Da Animal' Alexander at Fenway will be 'the biggest test of his career.' Advertisement Massachusetts-born Lexi 'Lil Savage' Bolduc will compete in her fourth professional fight. She faces Sarah Couillard in a rematch after coming out on the losing end of a majority draw at the Royale. 'Fighting at Fenway, I think adds a little bit of pressure because I'm local, I grew up in Mass and idolized a lot of players as I was growing up. ... But at the same time, I'm trying to use it just as a huge opportunity and really soak in the moment,' she said. 'Pressure makes diamonds. 'To be able to kind of stand on that same ground of some of the most accomplished athletes, it's really remarkable,' she said.
