Demetrious Johnson is not interested in fighting UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. After all, the champ, after spectacularly submitting Kai Asakura in the second round of their UFC 310 clash last night, had called out ‘Mighty Mouse’ to come back and prove that he is still the (at least flyweight) GOAT.

But ‘DJ’, on his YouTube channel shortly after the call-out, had refused since he felt he was getting up in age and had enough money in his bank account to not compete again. But many don’t believe he was being completely honest and perhaps wishing more than anything else that ‘DJ’ would change his mind eventually. Well, that seems entirely out of the question, or so Johnson’s comments on ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’ seem to suggest.

“It was a good fight by Alexandre Panoja and Kai Asakura. Was that a little surprising that he called me out? A little bit ‘cuz you know, one thing that people, if you know me as a person outside the cage [know] when I say ‘I will do something,’ I mean it one thousand percent… I’m black and white. It’s either I’m in or I’m out. And when I said ‘my black a** is retired’, everybody out there, I don’t sell false dreams, I don’t sell wolf tickets, I don’t sell none of that bulls**t, my black a** is not coming back,” ‘DJ’ said.

Of course, Johnson is 38, but he still trains and is in shape. Not to mention he retired barely three months ago. It’s not a question of whether or not he can do it, or if he’s over the hill, it’s just a question of whether he wants to do it. And that he does not. Or does he?

Kamaru Usman believes Demetrious Johnson will be back

Of course, some fans are still holding out hope and claim that this refusal might just be Johnson playing 4-D chess. After all, it would be a good negotiating tactic for ‘DJ’ to initially refuse and have Dana White and Co. convince him. How? Well with a beautiful cheque, of course.

In fact, Johnson’s illustrious colleague, Kamaru Usman, believes this might be the case. Maybe the former welterweight champ, like many fans, is just hoping that ‘DJ’ will change his mind eventually. But on the other hand, Usman seemed awfully sure Johnson would be back for one last dance.

“I mean this guy is incredible. And to be honest with you, I do believe he comes back,” Usman said on YouTube. Not to mention the Nigerian native also felt confident that ‘DJ’, brilliant as ever even at 38, would actually beat Alexandre Pantoja: “He has the potential of being a champion again right now if he came back.” What do you think about Demetrious Johnson’s clarification about turning down the Panoja fight?