Demetrious Johnson isn’t plotting a comeback.
That’s the message the previous UFC flyweight champion handed alongside after he received known as out by Alexandre Pantjoa following his win over Kai Asakura on Saturday evening. The victory served as Pantoja’s third straight title protection however with wins over the vast majority of the fighters occupying spots close to the highest of the UFC’s rankings, he doesn’t have many challenges awaiting him.
So Pantoja turned his consideration to Johnson saying “I’m the GOAT right here. If you wish to show you’re the GOAT, come again” however now “Mighty Mouse” has responded with an emphatic thanks however no thanks.
“My Black ass ain’t popping out of retirement,” Johnson mentioned on his YouTube channel. “Why would I do this? The checking account is sitting good and good. 38 years previous, 11 consecutive title defenses. The champ ain’t coming again.”
Johnson retired again in September after giving himself greater than a yr to take a seat on that call simply in case he determined he wished to combat once more. When that self-imposed time restrict expired, Johnson knew that he was prepared to hold up his gloves and name it a profession.
He already scoffed at former opponent Adriano Moraes predicting that he would finally return to motion and Johnson hasn’t modified his thoughts simply because Pantoja known as him out.
“Guys I’m retired. I’ve no curiosity to combat anymore,” Johnson mentioned. “I’m so blissful for Alex Pantoja. I’m blissful he received his third title protection. I’m so blissful for him. I all the time thought he was a tremendous athlete. He’s the best flyweight on this planet proper now. I believe the best flyweights on this planet proper now are all at American High Crew. You will have Alex Pantoja, Adriano Moraes and you then even have Kyoji Horiguchi. These three guys are most likely one of the best athletes on this planet.
“I’m not one of the best flyweight on this planet anymore. My Black ass is retired and I’m fortunately retired. I ain’t going to be no motherf*cking Jose Aldo. I ain’t going to be no motherf*cking Donald Cerrone coming again to combat. There ain’t no level to coming again to combat. What am I going to show once I come again to f*cking combat?”
Johnson revealed that he was already supplied a hefty payday to return again to combating however even that didn’t entice him to plot a return to motion.
“You understand what the attractive factor in regards to the place I’m in is?” Johnson mentioned. “I’ve been supplied $2 million {dollars} to return and do one combat. One combat and what do you guys suppose I mentioned? I mentioned no. I mentioned completely no. It wasn’t with the UFC. It wasn’t towards Alex Pantoja. I’m not going to let you know who it was with however I received supplied $2 million {dollars} to combat and there comes a cut-off date in an athlete’s profession the place you sit again and also you’ll be like why am I combating? Is it to be one of the best on this planet? Shit, I used to be one of the best on this planet for six years. Not simply in America but additionally in Japan and I went up a division. I went to 135 as an alternative of 125.
“Then you definitely sit again once I made that call ‘I don’t care to combat anymore,’ I gave myself a full-blown yr to see if I’m going to overlook it. [To see] if it’s my identification and I didn’t miss it.”
Moderately than take punches for a dwelling anymore, Johnson prefers his new occupation offering for his household with a thriving YouTube channel and different companies exterior of combating.
He believes that’s his new measure of success slightly than continuously answering challenges from the subsequent man in line attempting to usurp his throne.
“What I believed was extra badass than being one of the best fighter on this planet, I believe it’s extra badass to construct an empire,” Johnson mentioned. “In the event you’re an athlete and you’re profitable and you’re counting on the cash you make from profitable, when you lose that combat, half your pay is gone. As soon as any champion loses, half their pay is gone. It’s simply gone like that.
“That’s the attractive factor that made me need to retire is that I don’t need to depend on my physique or me being one of the best on this planet to be able to pay my payments and make investments and construct my empire.”
