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Demetrious Johnson Declines Fight Against Alexandre Pantoja

James Herrick / UFC / December 8, 2024

Demetrious Johnson Alexandre Pantoja — Demetrious Johnson is not interested in fighting UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Instead, the former champion is staying retired. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Demetrious Johnson Declines Fight Against Alexandre Pantoja

At UFC 310, Alexandre Pantoja defeated Kai Asakura to notch his third flyweight title defense. The champion now has his eyes set on the Consensus Flyweigtht G.O.A.T Demetrious Johnson. The interest was not reciprocated, however.

Pantoja called out Johnson in his UFC 310 octagon interview.

“This is something I am saying for you, Demetrious Johnson,” Pantoja said. “I am the G.O.A.T here. If you want to prove you are the G.O.A.T. come back.

Johnson responded to Pantoja’s callout while watching the event live.

“My black a– ain’t coming out of retirement,” Johnson said. “Why would I do that? Boys, Boys, the bank account is sitting nice and good; I’m 38 years old, 11 consecutive title defenses. The champ ain’t coming back.”

The idea of a bout between Pantoja and Johnson does have merit. Pantoja is the first fighter to hold the flyweight championship for an extended period since Johnson was traded to ONE Championship. Plus, he has done a great job of cleaning out the division. The promotion is in desperate need of fresh contenders for the champion. Furthermore, the signing of Asakura showed the promotion is willing to bring fighters from outside the organization.

Ultimately, it is a hard sell to get Johnson back in the octagon. At this point, he is widely considered to be the flyweight G.O.A.T, and it is not much of a discussion. The idea of returning to the UFC to fight Pantoja comes with a ton of risk. If he were an active fighter, it may be worth the risk, but the idea of coming out of retirement makes it a taller task.

UFC 310: Five Things We Learned

The Johnson callout was a hail mary for Pantoja, but it was worth the shot. Now, he will likely end up fighting Brandon Royval or Kai-Kara France. Those are the same options he would have been working with if he did not make the Johnson callout.

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