Upon his retirement, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will now also become the first inductee into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is going out on top.
The legendary ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion, considered by many as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, called it a career after an illustrious 18-year professional run which saw him collect all the titles that he can get from all over the world.
He fittingly made his emotional announcement at ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, September 7 (Philippine time) in front of an adoring American crowd inside Ball Arena in Colorado.
“You guys made me a better person. A better athlete. Thank you to my wife for always pushing me to pursue my dreams. Thank you to ONE Championship, the staff, the competition team, the social media team, thank you to Chatri for giving me the opportunity to display my martial arts on this platform,” Johnson said in an emotional retirement speech.
“Like I said last time, When I came here in Denver, Colorado I said that it was potentially my last fight and I was not lying. I’m done, I’m done competing in mixed martial arts and I would like to thank you guys for giving me the opportunity. I appreciate you guys.”
After his announcement, ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong formally named Johnson as the first athlete to make it to the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.
“DJ you’re the greatest martial artist in history for me. From one lifelong martial artist to another, I have so much mad respect for you. You travelled the entire world, fought on the two biggest organizations in the world, conquered both. There is no other mountain for you to conquer,” Sityodtong said.
“He is not only the greatest mixed martial artist of all time but also the first inductee to the ONE Championship Hall of Fame.”
Considered as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet after clearing out his division in the United States, “Mighty Mouse” jumped to ONE Championship in search of new challenges – and challenges he got.
He was pushed by some of ONE’s younger flyweights in Tatsumitsu Wada and Danny “The King” Kingad, but Johnson powered through to claim the ONE Flyweight MMA World Grand Prix – his first silverware in ONE.
His drive for gold, however, hit a setback as he absorbed the first KO loss of his career when he got finished by erstwhile flyweight king Adriano “Mikinho” Moraes to send him back to the drawing board.
He got one back from Moraes, though, finishing him in their rematch with almost the same move as he finished the Brazilian with a beautiful flying knee to finally collect the only thing missing in his trophy cabinet – a ONE World Championship.
The American wrestler finished the trilogy on top, dominating Moraes to get a clear cut unanimous decision win and prove that he is still the best in the world, wherever he goes.
With ONE, Johnson also pushed himself to new challenges – including a unique superfight with reigning ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon.
In that fight, Johnson had to survive the first round in Rodtang’s world of Muay Thai, and he not only survived – he tagged the charismatic Thai World Champion with clean shots of his own in a crazy first round between two of the best of their respective sports.
The moment it hit the second round – where it was competed in MMA rules – “Mighty Mouse” stamped his class by submitting “The Iron Man” to take the win in one of the most unique matches the promotion has ever produced.
But aside from his brilliance inside the ring, he’s also one of the most respected fighters both in and out of the ring – leaving a legacy that might never be replicated for a long time.