Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who turned 38 back in mid-August, retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) while still under contract with ONE Championship.
Johnson (25-4-1) holds a dozen flyweight records in UFC and ranks third all time in championship wins behind current heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre.
But is Johnson worthy of a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame?
“Absolutely,” UFC CEO Dana White told Grind City Media.
“Incredible career he had. I never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson. Listen, if you go back to when he was here, I was defending him from the fans. Who’s defended Demetrious Johnson more than me?”
White blamed MMA fans for Johnson’s inability to move the pay-per-view (PPV) needle.
Johnson was shipped to ONE Championship in a blockbuster trade for welterweight headliner Ben Askren back in late 2018. “Mighty Mouse” would compile a 5-1 record with a couple of finishes and a championship title.
Askren (19-2, 1 NC) went 1-2 and got demolished by Jorge Masvidal, then quit UFC in favor of a big-money boxing match with Jake Paul, which also ended with “Funky” getting spanked. No doubt ONE Championship got the better deal in that trade.