Off the back of his ONE Fight Night 10 victory over three-time foe, Adriano Moraes, heralded flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson has claimed he will consult both fellow former UFC champions, Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov on their decisions to retire from mixed martial arts competition.
Johnson, a former undisputed flyweight champion under the banner of the UFC, managed to retain his ONE Championship crown in Broomfield, Colorado last weekend against three-time opponent, Moraes, successfully taking bragging rights in the pair’s trilogy title rubber match.
However, prior to the event, Kentucky maestro, Johnson flirted with a potential immediate retirement from mixed martial arts regardless of result against the Brazilian, however, has yet to pull the trigger on his decision.
Demetrious Johnson still weighs up potential MMA retirement
Providing an update on his fighting future, Johnson, who holds the record for most successful consecutive title defenses under the UFC banner with 11 straight wins as champions, claimed he would question both St-Pierre, and Nurmagomedov on their decisions to call time on their respective careers.
“Taking to my peers, talking to Urijah Faber – I’m going to reach out to [Georges St-Pierre], I’m going to reach out to Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Demetrious Johnson told assembled media following ONE Fight Night 10. “I’m going to talk to these guys. I’m like, ‘Why did you guys stop?’”
“Those guys could have kept on fighting, and there comes a point in time – I’m 36-years-old, and do I just keep on doing this and giving other athletes the opportunity to beat me and add to their legacy?” Demetrious Johnson asked. “There’s a lot of stuff I’ve got muster up.”
5-1 since his transition to ONE Championship, Johnson, a prior Grand Prix victor, landed a stunning highlight-reel knee KO over Moraes last year before securing a decision win in their weekend title trilogy matchup.