Retired Demetrious Johnson not closing the door on a submission grappling match in ONE Championship: "Hopefully, one day"
Demetrious Johnson is retired from MMA but he's not done with submission grappling. On Sept. 6, the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion was in attendance at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado, to witness the explosive world title main event between Muay Thai rivals, Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9.
During the show, 'Mighty Mouse' took the stage at the Ball Arena to announce his official retirement from mixed martial arts. He was then inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame, becoming the first inductee in promotion history in the process.
With a career spanning over a decade, 'Mighty Mouse' feels ultra grateful to have shared his long journey with the fans, his friends, and his family. But now that he's got more time on his hands, the 38-year-old veteran says he intends to compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).
Speaking at the ONE 168 post-event presser, 'Mighty Mouse' explained:
"I'm still gonna compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Hopefully, one day if my no-gi game gets good enough, maybe in the Circle, we'll see."
Watch the full press conference, here:
Demetrious Johnson earned his black belt in the gi this year, under Bibiano Fernandes and Yan McCane after winning gold and silver at the BJJ Pan American Championships.
Demetrious Johnson pays his respects to the newly-crowned ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion, Superlek Kiatmoo9
Demetrious Johnson, although emotional after announcing his retirement, bounced back to his usual self when he met Superlek backstage at ONE 168.
The flyweight kickboxing kingpin, Superlek Kiatmoo9, sent shockwaves through the Muay Thai world when he knocked down former double-world champion Jonathan Haggerty, 49 seconds into the first round.
'Mighty Mouse' went backstage to congratulate the new two-division world champion with a smile and a handshake, as he mimicked Superlek's final blow below:
The full replay of ONE 168 is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.