Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts as 'one of the best' fighters of all time retires as champion after 15-year career
09/09/2024 09:33 AM
Khabib Nurmagomedov has hailed the tremendous skills and career of Demetrious Johnson after the MMA legend retired on Friday night.
‘Mighty Mouse’ was one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in history, breaking numerous records for world title fight wins during his 15-year career. And last weekend, he stepped into the cage at ONE Championship’s Denver event to confirm his retirement from the sport.
Johnson and Nurmagomedov are widely considered among the best Mixed Martial Artists in history, with the Russian going unbeaten at 29-0 during his phenomenal lightweight run. And the former 155lb champion paid his respects following his contemporary’s retirement.
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Demetrious Johnson refuses to give up world title as he announces his retirement
It was an emotional night in Denver on Friday as Demetrious Johnson had to choke back while making an emotional speech to fans. The flyweight legend has been fighting professionally since 2009, and set countless records in the UFC before an unprecedented trade for Ben Askren to ONE in 2019.
He thanked his family as well as the fans during a deeply heartfelt message, which took him numerous attempts as he tried to stop himself crying. Towards the end of his speech, Johnson noted that he was asked to hand back his bantamweight title belt as he left the cage.
But he refused to do so, telling fans in a cheeky final message: "Mighty's out, they wanted me to leave the belt in here, I ain't doing that s***. I came into this sport as a champ, I'm leaving my black a** as a champ too!"
Khabib Nurmagomedov pays tribute to Demetrious Johnson after retirement
Many fans, fighters and media members took to social media following the news to pay their own tributes to Johnson following the news. Renowned journalist Ariel Helwani penned a lengthy statement, while ESPN’s official MMA account branded him an “absolute legend”.
And one name who made waves with his tribute was Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former lightweight champion is one of a select few names who joins Johnson in fans’ eyes as potentially the greatest of all time in MMA.
In a rare Instagram story post, Nurmagomedov left a brief note of support for the American, with a series of clapping emojis. “One of the best who ever did this,” he wrote.
Dana White guarantees Demetrious Johnson will be entered into UFC Hall of Fame
Prior to joining ONE Championship, Demetrious Johnson was one of the greatest UFC fighters in history. He won the most title fights in the promotion, and many records would even be handed out with a caveat of not including Johnson in the count due to his clear dominance at 125lb.
And speaking with Grind City Media, his former boss Dana White insisted that he would be given a spot in the Hall of Fame in future. "Yeah, I didn't know that,” White replied when informed by reporter John Morgan that he had hung up the gloves.
"Listen if you go back to when he was here, I was defending him from the fans. Who's defended Demetrious Johnson more than me? Good for him. Incredible career he had. I never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson.”
Asked if he would be heading into the UFC Hall of Fame, White replied “absolutely”.
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