“Take all the time you need to get your mind right” – Demetrious Johnson says Angela and Christian Lee should take a few years off

ONE flyweight world champion Demetrious Johnson is one of the most collected and compassionate fighters in the sport. ‘Mighty Mouse’ has been open in the past about how the passing of his older sister affected him and made him fall in love with training again by embracing each day and trying to be better.

In a recent interview with SCMP MMA, Johnson shared a few kind words about Christian and Angela Lee, who recently announced the passing of their sister Victoria:

“Whenever they’re ready to come back and compete, come back and compete. If you don’t want to compete, you don’t have to compete. There’s more to life than just trying to get back to the cage and Circle side and be able to compete. Take two years, three years off and enjoy your daughter. I know Christian [Lee] they have a child and I know Angela has a child. Take off and be parents for a little while. Fighting ain’t going nowhere, this shit ain’t going anywhere. It’s going to be here when you guys are ready to come back. Take your time, take all the time you need to get your mind right.”

Watch the full interview below:

The passing of 18-year-old Victoria Lee came as a huge shock to the entirety of the MMA world. Since atomweight world champion Angela Lee shared the news, tributes have come from every corner of the world, paying their respects to the Lee family and Victoria, who had superstar written all over her.

Demetrious Johnson on doing fight commentary with Rich Franklin and Mitch Chilson

Whilst Demetrious Johnson can usually be seen inside the circle competing at the very highest level, he was a spectator and a commentator at ONE Fight Night 6.

Joining Mitch Chilson and Rich Franklin at the commentary booth, Johnson lent his voice for the second half of the event’s broadcast. As one of the best minds in the sport, it’s hard to match his level of analysis and expertise that provided great insight at ONE’s first event of the year.

After the show, Demetrious Johnson reflected on the experience of putting down the gloves and picking up a mic:

“Oh, it was great. I know Mitch and Rich Franklin. We trained together in the past and those guys are all knowledgeable and I loved it.”

Though fans are happy to hear him bring something new to the commentary booth, they are more eager for his return at ONE Fight Night 10. Live from the 1stBank Center in Colorado, ONE Championship will make its US debut with a main event befitting of a history-making date.

Demetrious Johnson will look to close out his rivalry with Adriano Moraes by defending his flyweight world championship in the pairs trilogy match on May 5.

Watch his full post-fight interview below: