“I'm done canceling vacations” - Demetrious Johnson says no point in fighting if he can’t enjoy life

MMA living legend Demetrious Johnson is revered as one of the best flyweights on the planet, but getting to the mountaintop has come at an enormous cost: missing out on family vacations.

Since joining ONE Championship, Johnson is looking to turn things around and make time to enjoy life with his family in between fights. In an exclusive interview, the flyweight superstar told ONE:

"My schedule is probably more laid out than ONE Championship's schedule, just because we're very — we got Disneyland planned already in October. November, we're going out to Arizona for Thanksgiving. December hasn’t been set, [but] we're already planning for next year's vacation.

The multi-time world champion has had a long and successful run in his MMA career, often times fighting more than twice a year. It looks like his job is less demanding under ONE Championship, but 'Mighty Mouse' wants to be clear when he says he wants to be a dad first and a fighter second.

He continued to say:

"One of the things I've done in my career in the past is I've canceled vacations when I have a fight coming up. And so now that I have three children, I've missed vacations. You know, one of the vacations I missed was the kids and the wife... That was a moment of time that I’ll never really get back."

"I'm done canceling vacations. Like, if I can't train eight weeks, and then go on vacation, and then still go out and continue to fight, then I don't want this anymore. There's no point.”

Hopefully, under ONE Championship’s fight schedule, Demetrious Johnson can find the flexibility he wants and deserves. After his flyweight rematch against former rival Adriano Moraes this August, Johnson could use his winnings to give his family the Christmas getaway they’ve always wanted.

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Demetrious Johnson felt “frustrated” after knockout loss with Adriano Moraes at ONE on TNT 1

Demetrious Johnson wasn’t at all pleased with how his first world title matchup with Adriano Moraes turned out. At ONE on TNT 1, the MMA icon did well in the first round, but was rocked by a scintillating punch that dropped him onto the canvas.

As 'DJ' was getting up, Moraes sealed the deal with a brutal knee to the head to knock him out.

In the post-fight interview, the former UFC champion opened up about how he felt after the match:

“It’s frustrating you know, I watched the fight about four or five times and saw the exchange that, you know, took me out of the fight. But, you know, like I said, when I was in the cage, you do this sport long enough, it’s bound to happen.”

Listen to Demetrious Johnson's interview on the MMA Hour below: