Demetrious Johnson, one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, announces retirement at 38

Demetrious Johnson still holds the UFC record for consecutive title defenses. (Photo by Christopher Colon/Pximages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In the flyweight division of MMA, Demetrious Johnson is the only answer for the greatest of all time. And now that career is over.

The 38-year-old Johnson announced his retirement from mixed martial arts during an appearance at ONE 168 in Denver on Friday, ending a run that spanned five promotions and nearly a decade of title reigns. He will finish his career with a record of 25-4-1, with a 17-2-1 record at flyweight.

“They wanted me to leave the belt in here, I ain’t doing that s***. I came into this sport as a champ, I’m leaving my Black ass as a champ too,” Johnson said.

The announcement came with the news that Johnson would become the first inductee into the new ONE Championship Hall of Fame. Johnson also said he would continue training in jiu jitsu, so he might not be entirely done in combat sports, just the one that made him a star.

Johnson made his ascent as the original UFC flyweight champion, joining the promotion through the World Extreme Cagefighting merger and winning the belt in 2012 via tournament victories over Ian McCall and Joseph Benavidez.

Johnson proceeded to defend the flyweight title 11 times, breaking Anderson Silva’s UFC record for consecutive title defenses. “Mighty Mouse” dismantled opponent after opponent for six years, and it eventually took an Olympic champion in wrestling, Henry Cejudo, to knock him off his perch, on his second try, with a split decision.

Rather than try to reclaim the belt, Johnson was traded to ONE and became the face of the nascent promotion. He won the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix in 2019, then fought Adriano Moraes for the ONE flyweight belt.

That Moraes rivalry turned into a trilogy, with Moraes taking the first fight via a second-round knee KO, then Johnson taking the next two with a fourth-round flying knee then a unanimous decision.

While Johnson works on his grappling, a full-time media career also wouldn’t be a difficult transition for him as he’s already moved into the podcasting space.