Demetrious Johnson says he still has some inner fire amid retirement talks

Demetrious Johnson says there is still plenty of fire left inside him despite recent suggestions that his ONE Fight Night 10 appearance could be his last.

After dominating for nearly two decades in the world of combat sports, ‘Mighty Mouse’ is staring down the barrel of retirement. Before riding off into the sunset, Johnson will defend his ONE flyweight world championship against the man he took it from, Adriano Moraes. The two flyweight superstars will square off in a highly anticipated trilogy bout on May 5 when the promotion makes its long-awaited U.S. debut.

Days away from his return to the Circle, Demetrious Johnson appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. During their conversation, ‘Mighty Mouse’ addressed rumors of his potential retirement.

“If you watch ONE Championship and you see all of my footage of how I'm training like this, you will see there are three or four years left in me,” Johnson said.

Watch the interview below:

This is likely very encouraging news for fans of the multi-time world champion after being led to believe that ONE Fight Night 10 could be his swan song. Nobody could really blame Johnson for walking away when he chooses to do so. The Kentucky native has nothing left to prove inside the cage after solidifying himself as the greatest flyweight fighter in the history of the sport.

While it’s probably safe to assume that ‘Mighty Mouse’ is not leaving MMA behind after ONE Fight Night 10, there is no doubt that Adriano Moraes would relish the idea of sending Demetrious Johnson into retirement on his back at one of the biggest events in ONE Championship history.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch ONE Fight Night 10 live and for free in U.S. primetime on May 5.