Demetrious Johnson isn’t plotting a comeback.
That’s the message the previous UFC flyweight champion handed alongside after he bought 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 nearly all 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 attention 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 stated 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 12 months to sit down 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 stated. “I’m so blissful for Alex Pantoja. I’m blissful he bought his third title protection. I’m so blissful for him. I at all times thought he was an incredible athlete. He’s the best flyweight on this planet proper now. I feel the best flyweights on this planet proper now are all at American High Staff. You will have Alex Pantoja, Adriano Moraes and you then even have Kyoji Horiguchi. These three guys are in all probability the very best athletes on this planet.
“I’m not the very 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 provided a hefty payday to return again to preventing however even that didn’t entice him to plot a return to motion.
“You realize what the gorgeous factor concerning the place I’m in is?” Johnson stated. “I’ve been provided $2 million {dollars} to return and do one combat. One combat and what do you guys suppose I stated? I stated no. I stated completely no. It wasn’t with the UFC. It wasn’t in opposition to Alex Pantoja. I’m not going to let you know who it was with however I bought provided $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 preventing? Is it to be the very best on this planet? Shit, I used to be the very 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 a substitute 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 12 months to see if I’m going to overlook it. [To see] if it’s my id and I didn’t miss it.”
Quite than take punches for a dwelling anymore, Johnson prefers his new occupation offering for his household with a thriving YouTube channel and different companies outdoors of preventing.
He believes that’s his new measure of success quite than continuously answering challenges from the subsequent man in line making an attempt to usurp his throne.
“What I assumed was extra badass than being the very best fighter on this planet, I feel it’s extra badass to construct an empire,” Johnson stated. “When you’re an athlete and you might be profitable and you might be 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 gorgeous factor that made me wish to retire is that I don’t wish to depend on my physique or me being the very best on this planet with a purpose to pay my payments and make investments and construct my empire.”
