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Even Chatri Sityodtong couldn't help but turn emotional after witnessing Demetrious Johnson pour his heart out at ONE 168: Denver on Sept. 6 at Ball Arena.
A lot of tears were shed not just by fans in attendance but millions watching at home when one of the greatest martial artists of all time announced his decision to retire from the sport.
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Shortly after his heartfelt goodbye, Demetrious Johnson made an appearance in the post-event press conference and revealed he initially didn't want to make a big deal of his retirement. However, he later realized he owed it to his loyal fans.
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Sityodtong then thanked 'DJ' for allowing ONE to give him the magical send-off that he deserves:
"You know, I agree with DJ. The fans, as much as it was DJ’s moment, it was also the fans’ moment to say goodbye to DJ, you know."
The ONE Chairman and CEO also commended 'Mighty Mouse's' poignant farewell speech, claiming it was the perfect way to end his historic career. Sityodtong added:
"People are very emotional. It was crazy because I was cageside and all of us were crying. I was standing next to Matt Hume, Renzo Gracie, all these guys. We were all in tears, it was so moving. Then DJ’s speech was also very moving. It was, I think I’ve never heard him speak so high-pitched before."
Watch the full ONE 168: Denver post-fight presser:
Chatri Sityodtong proud to give Demetrious Johnson a fitting tribute
Demetrious Johnson will go down as one of the best fighters to ever do it, and it was only right to give him a memorable moment one final time.
ONE certainly did right by the former flyweight MMA champion, giving him a platform to say goodbye to his millions of fans across the world.
During the ONE 168: Denver post-event press conference, Sityodtong said the promotion put a lot of work into Johnson's retirement ceremony and was extremely proud of the outcome:
"We wanted to make it a magical memory. That’s something we always talk about at ONE, of course we have the greatest fighters on the planet like Liam and DJ, the world’s best of the best. But, one of our ethos is we wanna create magical moments that last a lifetime for our fans."
The full replay of ONE 168: Denver is available on demand for Prime Video subscribers in North America.
