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Flyweight great Demetrious Johnson was surprised by the wave of emotion he felt while announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts.
After more than a year on the sidelines, the ONE flyweight MMA world champion stepped inside the Circle at ONE 168: Denver on September 6 and delivered the news that we all thought was coming but still didn't want to hear. 'DJ' laid down his 26 pounds of gold and officially walked away from the sport he had spent the last two decades dominating.
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It was a very emotional moment as 'Mighty Mouse' struggled to say the words in front of a raucous crowd in The Mile High City. Looking back, Johnson admitted to being surprised by how poignant the moment was.
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"I'm not gonna lie to you, I didn't think it was going to be that emotional. I didn't think it was going to be emotional, to be honest with you."
Before leaving the cage for the final time, Demetrious Johnson made history once again by becoming the first-ever inductee into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.
Demetrious Johnson closes his career with a WGP title and a trilogy for the ages
'Mighty Mouse' capped off his career with a 25-4 overall record and multiple world title reigns while competing on the biggest stages in all of combat sports.
In ONE Championship alone, 'DJ' went 6-1, including three straight wins in 2019 to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament. He followed that up with one of the most memorable trilogies in MMA history, going toe-to-toe with eight-tie titleholder Adriano Moraes on three separate occasions.
Johnson came up short in their inaugural meeting but bounced back 16 months later with a devastating flying knee knockout against 'Mikinho' at ONE ONE on Prime Video 1. Johnson closed out their rivalry with a dominant five-round showing at ONE Fight Night 10 in Denver, further establishing himself as one of the P4P greatest fighters of all time.
What is your favorite highlight from Johnson's icon run in ONE Championship?
If you missed any of the action, ONE Championship fans in the United States and Canada can watch the ONE 168: Denver replay on demand via Amazon Prime Video.
