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How Former UFC Fighter Kajan Johnson Uses Red Light Therapy to Stay in the Game
Recovery · Red Light Therapy · Athlete Wellness
For most people, retirement means slowing down. For Kajan Johnson, it means training smarter.
The former UFC lightweight and Canadian MMA legend has spent decades putting his body through the kind of punishment most people couldn't imagine. Fights, training camps, grappling sessions, sparring — thousands of hours of hard work that have taken a very real physical toll. And now, as he continues to train and stay active well into his later years, recovery has become just as important as the training itself.
One tool that has become a staple in his recovery routine? Red light therapy.
The Reality of Training at a High Level as You Age
Anyone who has trained martial arts seriously knows the feeling. The first few years your body bounces back fast. You train hard on Monday and by Tuesday you're ready to go again. But as the years add up — and especially for professional fighters who have absorbed thousands of impacts over a career — recovery starts to take longer.
Joints get stiffer. Muscles take more time to repair. Inflammation that once cleared up overnight starts lingering for days. For someone like Kajan, who still pushes his body hard in training, finding ways to accelerate recovery isn't optional — it's essential.
"At this point in my career, how I recover determines how I can train," he says. "If I'm not recovering well, I can't train the way I want to. And I still want to train."
Why Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy — specifically at the 660nm and 850nm wavelengths — has become one of the most talked about recovery tools in professional sports. And for good reason. The science behind it is compelling.
At 660nm, red light works at the surface level — reducing inflammation, easing soreness, and promoting tissue repair in muscles and skin. For a fighter dealing with the everyday bumps and bruises of training, that surface level relief makes a noticeable difference day to day.
At 850nm, near infrared light goes deeper — penetrating 4 to 5 centimetres into muscle, tendon, and connective tissue. It stimulates the mitochondria to produce more ATP — essentially the energy currency of your cells — which accelerates the body's natural healing process from the inside out.
For an athlete like Kajan, whose body carries years of accumulated wear on joints, muscles, and connective tissue, that deep tissue activation is where the real recovery happens.
What His Recovery Routine Looks Like
After a hard training session — whether it's grappling, striking, or strength work — Kajan incorporates red light therapy as part of his wind down routine. Targeting the areas that took the most strain during training. Knees, shoulders, lower back — the areas that accumulate the most damage over a long combat sports career.
The results speak for themselves. Less stiffness the morning after training. Faster reduction in inflammation. The ability to get back on the mat sooner and train at a higher level more consistently.
Combined with massage therapy — another tool Kajan swears by — the combination of percussive relief and red light penetration creates a recovery effect that no single tool can replicate on its own.
The Lesson for Every Athlete
You don't have to be a former UFC fighter to benefit from red light therapy. The same physiological principles that help Kajan recover from hard training sessions apply to anyone who pushes their body — whether you're a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply someone dealing with chronic joint pain and muscle soreness.
The difference between athletes who stay active into their later years and those who can't isn't just genetics. It's recovery. It's taking the time and using the right tools to give your body what it needs to repair, rebuild, and come back stronger.
Red light therapy at 660nm and 850nm is one of those tools. And when you combine it with the kind of dedication to recovery that fighters like Kajan Johnson bring to everything they do — the results are undeniable.
Recovery Is Part of the Training
Kajan Johnson didn't survive and thrive in one of the most physically demanding sports in the world by ignoring his body. He listened to it. He adapted. He found the tools that worked and built them into his routine.
Red light therapy is one of those tools. And at Rubiplex, it's the foundation of everything we build.
Because recovery isn't the opposite of training. It's part of it.
Recover smarter with Rubiplex — dual wavelength 660nm/850nm red light therapy built for athletes who refuse to slow down.