Demetrious Johnson says ONE attempted to lure him out of retirement for Mikey Musumeci super fight

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson nearly postponed his retirement for a special rules match against ONE grappling standout Mikey Musumeci.

Johnson, after a decorated career in mixed martial arts, announced his fighting retirement in front of the world at ONE 168 in Denver. He retired as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time, including a record-setting run as the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion.

Johnson appeared completely content in his decision to walk away from fighting when he made his announcement. Just before he made headlines, Johnson was approached by ONE brass members about a clash with Musumeci.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Mikey Musumeci nearly came to fruition

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Johnson shared the discussions between himself and ONE about a return to face Musumeci.

“They offered me a super fight with Mikey Musumeci,” Johnson said. “They were thinking of doing a grappling match with Mikey, and then we were going back-and-forth on the price and couldn’t come to terms. And then ONE said ‘How about a super fight? One round grappling, one round mixed martial arts?’. And I told them, guys, I truly don’t care about fighting [anymore]…

“I think it was three weeks ago? For great money, phenomenal money, and I just don’t care to fight. I truly don’t care to fight mixed martial arts anymore.”

Musumeci was supposed to compete at ONE 168 before withdrawing due to illness. ONE stripped him of his flyweight grappling title after missing weight and failing a hydration test.

Johnson was the centerpiece of an MMA trade in 2018 between ONE and the UFC. The UFC received rights to Ben Askren in exchange for Johnson.

While the UFC’s gamble on Askren didn’t pan out, ONE arguably one the trade handily with Johnson. He accumulated a 5-1 record with the promotion including a stint as the ONE flyweight titleholder.

Johnson made his promotional debut against Tatsumitsu Wada in Aug. 2019, earning a unanimous decision win. He defeated Danny Kingad in a No. 1 contender fight later that year to win the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix tournament.

Johnson returned in 2021 against Adriano Moraes, losing by a knee knockout in the second round. But, he got his revenge against Moraes at ONE on Prime Video 1, knocking out Moraes with a flying knee.

Johnson became ONE’s inaugural Hall of Fame inductee at ONE 168. As for Musumeci, a timeline for his return is uncertain, and the Johnson fight appears firmly off the table.