For more than 15 years, Demetrious Johnson has cemented himself as one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. Fighting everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Tokyo, Japan, he has earned titles in ONE Championship and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Despite having seen it all in the world of mixed martial arts, he is about to do something he has never done before.
Demetrious Johnson has had his fair share of adversaries in the cage over the years. In the past, he’s fought the likes of Ian McCall and Henry Cejudo twice. In two weeks, he’ll fight Adriano Marces for a third time. Their first meeting ended in an upset knockout victory for Johnson. Last year, Johnson countered with a knockout of his own. On May 5, both men will meet in the cage for a shot at the ONE Flyweight Championship. Not only will this the first trilogy of Johnson’s career, but it may also be his final MMA match.
“It’s definitely possible [this is my last fight],” Johnson told The MMA Hour Host Ariel Helwani on Wednesday.
“Being 36, I sit down with the wife and kids, even my close friends, my inner circle who they don’t watch mixed martial arts, they don’t train, they all have normal citizen jobs you could say, and sometimes I sit there and think, how much more do I need to do? How much more do I want to do?”
Johnson will look to go out as a champion when he meets Marces in Denver, Colorado on May 5, 2023. Until then, check out his complete conversation with Helwani below.
