ONE Championship: Mixed martial arts fans have been left divided after former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson questioned the retirement decisions of three of the sport’s biggest names: Urijah Faber, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Johnson, who currently competes in ONE Championship, expressed his desire to reach out to the retired fighters to better understand their thought processes and reasons for leaving the sport. Follow MMA News Updates with Insidesport.IN
Demetrious Johnson says he is planning to reach out to Urijah Faber, GSP & Khabib Nurmagomedov, to understand why they decided to retire.@MightyMouse believes they could have continued fighting… #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/WFTMnXkxNn
— J. Torres (@joeygamebred) May 6, 2023
ONE Championship: Demetrious Johnson on Retired MMA Champion’s
In an recent interview, Johnson said, “I would love to get in contact with Urijah Faber, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib Nurmagomedov and ask them why they retired. I think Khabib could have continued fighting, but he decided to retire. Maybe he was just scared to lose, I don’t know.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired from professional MMA in 2020, has been widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. His retirement came following a submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, a bout that many believed would be his toughest challenge to date. In his retirement speech, Khabib cited the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, as the primary reason for his decision to step away from the sport.
Georges St-Pierre, who retired in 2017 with a record of 26-2, has also been widely regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats. The Canadian fighter won titles in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions and is known for his technical prowess and well-rounded skill set. St-Pierre’s retirement came after a successful return to the Octagon, in which he defeated Michael Bisping to claim the UFC middleweight title.
Urijah Faber, who retired in 2019 with a record of 35-11, is a former WEC featherweight champion and UFC bantamweight contender. The Californian fighter was known for his exciting fighting style and his role in helping to popularize the sport of MMA in its early days. Faber’s retirement came following a loss to Petr Yan at UFC 245.
It remains to be seen whether Johnson will be able to connect with any of the retired fighters to discuss their decisions to leave the sport. However, his comments have sparked an interesting debate among fans about the motivations behind retirement and the legacy of fighters who choose to walk away from the sport at the height of their careers. Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / For UFC News updates with InsideSport.IN
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