Demetrious Johnson: “What If I Never Fight Again Because Of COVID-19?”
Demetrious Johnson hasn’t competed since October of 2019 and due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson may never fight again.
The one known as “Mighty Mouse” revealed that his career could be over if the ongoing coronavirus pandemic rages on.
“I hope we don’t see a COVID-22, knock on wood right now,” Johnson told MMA Junkie Radio. “You just never know. I mean, COVID-19, like I’m not going to lie – I was getting ready for this fight, I had my ticket booked to go out to Jakarta, and then this (explicit) just happened. And then to sit on the sidelines for a full year, I’m going to have to start thinking about something else because it only takes one new virus to wipe out your entire career. I thought, ‘What if I never fight again? What if I never fight again because of COVID-19?’”
Johnson’s last fight came at One Championship Century: Part 1, where he defeated Danny Kingad to win the One Flyweight World Grand Prix.
One thing that Johnson admits is that the COVID-19 pandemic caused him to enter a retirement-like mindset.
“I might never fight again, all that needs to happen is COVID 2022, and everything gets shut down, no live events,” Johnson said. “COVID-19 didn’t really hit me hard. I didn’t care about fighting. I just cared about being with my wife and kids, helping them being successful in their schooling. Obviously, me staying healthy for when the time comes I can be ready to fight. But when the COVID-19 hit, I was more father-retirement mode because when else I’m I going to fight again, I don’t know.”
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