ONE Championship: Demetrious Johnson says he will consult Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov on retirement decision
- Johnson returned to action at ONE Fight Night 10, defending his flyweight MMA title with a decision win over his greatest rival, Adriano Moraes
- The American is undecided on his fighting future after the sport, admitting that he has nightmares about his life after competition
ONE Championship’s Demetrious Johnson plans to consult two of the most accomplished athletes in MMA history as he deliberates over his future in the sport.
The American returned to action in the main event of ONE Fight Night 10 on Friday night in Denver, Colorado – the promotion’s first event in his home country – and defended the promotion’s flyweight MMA title with a hard-fought unanimous-decision victory over his long time rival Adriano Moraes.
Ahead of the fight, Johnson suggested several times that he might retire after the fact, no matter the outcome. He deferred that decision in his post-fight interview with Mitch Chilson, and again at the event’s post-fight press conference, revealing that he will pick the brains of former UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Khabib Nurmagomedov before he commits.
“I’m going to reach out to GSP, Khabib Nurmagomedov [and ask them], ‘why did you guys stop?’ Those guys could have kept on fighting,” he said.
Johnson, 36, is an 11-time UFC champion, and now ONE’s defending flyweight king. His legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time is ironclad, but the father of three has found himself increasingly concerned with his life after competition, which is why he has been considering retirement.
