"He's building a great future" - Daniel Cormier says a lot of career opportunities await Demetrious Johnson after MMA retirement
Demetrious Johnson's decision to bring his legendary MMA career to an end was always going to be a huge moment for the sport. 'Mighty Mouse' has helped to define the lower weight classes of the sport and will go down as one of, if not the, greatest to ever do it.
At ONE 168 this past weekend, Johnson announced his retirement in front of the fans inside the Ball Arena in Denver. Vacating his flyweight MMA world title in the process, this decision wasn't made without knowing what was next for the MMA GOAT candidate.
'DJ' has spent time in recent years developing new interests that have been his primary focus for some time now. Between his YouTube channel, training and competing in Jiu-Jitsu, and of course, spending time with his family, Johnson is still going to be busy.
In a recent episode of ESPN MMA's Good Guy/Bad Guy show, former UFC champ-champ turned commentator Daniel Cormier spoke about the retirement of one of the all-time greats:
"Demetrious will beat on you. So many great memories inside the Octagon, but he also made great memories outside the Octagon, and he's building a great future for himself. So congratulations, Demetrious Johnson, one of the greatest champions the UFC has ever seen."
Watch the full episode below:
Demetrious Johnson is still going to be involved in combat sports
Just because he has stepped away from MMA doesn't mean that Demetrious Johnson is going to step away from the limelight.
Through his podcasts and breakdowns, 'Mighty Mouse' is still going to be a key presence in the combat sports scene via his YouTube channel.
He will also continue to compete in grappling tournaments after really falling in love with gi Jiu-jitsu in recent years.
Johnson may have stepped away from the highest level in martial arts but he did it on his terms as the best of the best.
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.