Demetrious Johnson set a likely unmatchable gold standard for what it means to be a fighting champion within the UFC. And now he’s the newest member of the promotion’s Hall of Fame.
UFC returned to Seattle this past Saturday, where Johnson was in attendance. Speaking Tuesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” the legendary Washington local revealed that he had avoided a UFC event since his split from the promotion in 2018. UFC officials had invited Johnson to last year’s Seattle event, he said, but ultimately the relaxation and freedom of watching from home always enticed Johnson more — until his good friend and fellow former champion, Israel Adesanya, was booked as this year’s headliner.
Despite the joyous announcement of Johnson’s recognition among the sport’s all-time greats, the night ended on a sour note, as Johnson was admittedly gutted to see Adesanya take a fourth straight loss, this time at the hands of Joe Pyfer. With Adesanya now 1-5 over his past six bouts, Johnson told Uncrowned on Tuesday that he’d like to see the 36-year-old two-time former middleweight champion call it a career.
“I would [retire] if I was him,” Johnson said. “There’s something for me, like — why do you fight? For the money [is one reason]; two, there’s a part of me that likes the chess aspect of [fighting]. The lifestyle, it’s good. But if you have the money, you’ve got to find something else to keep your mind engaged and always learning and thinking.
“Then the health aspect as well, [Adesanya’s] got a broken nose. I would like to see him retire. There’s nothing else for him to do in mixed martial arts. I think he’s done everything — and you’re not even considering the kickboxing matches he’s had as well. The man’s been on a tear, on a grind. I think he deserves to relax and enjoy himself and find something else.
“It’s like Dustin Poirier said,” Johnson added. “Now that he’s retired, he’s finding all these things he can actually say yes to that he couldn’t before.”
Johnson, 39, equated the situation to his own. Having been retired from MMA for three years now, Johnson has fully put his competition days behind him. He dabbled in the jiu-jitsu world for a spell in recent years and found his usual success, but now he’s occupied in several other ways, having accomplished everything possible in the sport in which he made his name.
“I feel like what made me so good in fighting was, one, I viewed it as a job,” Johnson said. “Two, I needed f***ing money, right? When you’re poor and you’re broke, you have a different mindset.
“When I was cutting weight, and I have to cut eight and a half pounds, I’m not f***ing giving a dime away to the commission or my opponent. I’m going to make f***ing weight. There’s a different mindset that goes on when you ain’t got money.
“I’m not saying that now that [Adesanya] has money, that mindset has changed. But he’s fighting somebody else who’s trying to get to his level. So for me, I’m just like, ‘You’ve done everything — just walk away from the sport.’ But I think that’s so hard for any professional athlete.”
Unfortunately for most fighters, they don’t get to sit in the same seat as Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” pushed the UFC record for consecutive title defenses to a staggering 11 straight before he moved on to ONE Championship and captured its 135-pound crown as well. Any additional fights after that would’ve been purely to make a buck, which for Johnson is no longer necessary.
Israel Adesanya had the full support of his friend and fellow legend Demetrious Johnson at UFC Seattle.
(Mat Hayward via Getty Images)
After all that, an entry into the UFC Hall of Fame was only a matter of when, not if. Even then, Johnson has been able to detach himself from the moment enough to see both sides.
Nonetheless, his upcoming induction this July means a lot.
“I think I’ve done a lot of amazing things inside the company,” Johnson said. “My title run as a flyweight. I felt I did pretty good at bantamweight at the time I did fight there. So I think my accolades and what I’ve been able to do [deserve it]. [And] hey, I don’t have the lowest-selling pay-per-view numbers anymore.
“I’m happy that it’s happened. Deep down, it does [mean something] because the UFC ain’t going nowhere, right? It’s going to be here for another 25, 30 years, maybe even more. The sport is only getting bigger. … The fact that I’m in the UFC Hall of Fame, it’s going to be around. So when people look at who was the first ever flyweight inducted into the Hall of Fame, it was Demetrious Johnson, the first ever flyweight champion. I think, in that scope, it’s great.”
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