This past Friday, ONE Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson announced his retirement from MMA at ONE 168. Johnson was then inducted into the ONE Championship Hall of Fame as the first-ever inductee into the promotion’s Hall of Fame.
Demetrious Johnson competed for most of his career in the UFC and ONE Championship. Johnson became the inaugural UFC Flyweight Champion by defeating Joseph Benavidez via split decision at UFC 152.
In 2018, UFC considered shutting down the flyweight division due to a lack of star power. The Mighty Mouse, who defended the Flyweight Title 11 times, lost to Henry Cejudo via a controversial split decision at UFC 227. Johnson was then traded to ONE Championship for Ben Askren.
In an interview with Grind City Media’s John Morgan, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about Demetrious Johnson’s retirement from MMA.
“Listen if you go back to when he was here [UFC]. I was defending him from the fans. You know, so who’s defended Demetrious Johnson more than me? Good for him, incredible career he had. I’ve never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson.”
When asked if Johnson would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, “Absolutely,” White said.