Demetrious Johnson Announces Retirement From MMA, Becomes First Inductee in ONE Championship Hall of Fame

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Flyweight king Demetrious Johnson on Saturday (September 7) became the first induction into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame moments after the mixed martial arts star announced his retirement from the sport.

There were reports of the MMA great making a special announcement in Denver. And the UFC legend and former ONE flyweight champion made exactly that during the ONE 168: Denver event at the Ball Arena on Friday (September 6) evening.

The flyweight king laid down his ONE Flyweight World Championship belt inside the circle before he revealed to the world that he was "done competing in MMA".

"Like I said last time when I came to Denver, Colorado, I told you guys it was potentially my last fight, and I was not lying. I am done. I am done competing in mixed martial arts, and I want to thank you guys so much for giving me the opportunity," said a teary-eyed "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.

Once the emotional Johnson completed his speech, ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityotdong announced that the Might Mouse is the first entry into the ONE Hall of Fame.

Johnson signed off in style saying, "They wanted me to leave the belt in here, I ain't doing that sh*t. I came into this sport as a champ, I'm leaving my black ass as a champ too."

While he has retired from MMA, the Mighty Mouse could still compete in jiu-jitsu at ONE Championship. The 38-year-old has stayed away from combat sport action since defending the title in a trilogy with Adriano Moraes in May 2023 at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. With that win, Johnson claimed the edge in the trilogy.

Johnson is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of combat sports. Prior to his successful ONE run of 6 wins in 7 outings, Johnson had held the title in the UFC, successfully setting the record for the most consecutive title defenses by retaining the flyweight title 11 straight times from 2012-2018.

Over the years, Johnson has secured wins against Moraes, Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Danny Kingad and Henry Cejudo among other in his illustriuos MMA career of 25-4-1. Amomg his 25 wins, 13 were stoppages - 5 KO/TKO and 8 submission wins.