Monday, 19 April 2010
The most feared word in MMA....'Retirement'
There comes a time in a fighters career when all their battles start to take their toll and the thought of retirement looms. Walking away from the sport is a scary thought for most fighters and a harsh reality they all have to face. Reasons fighters often retire are normally health related, due to age or they just can't find a win.
As the new generation of fighters make waves in the sport it seems our old favourites have a harder time in the cage. Partly due to the fact that our sport is constantly evolving and the younger fighters are trained purely in MMA whereas the older generation came into the sport with a specific fighting style. A prime example of a fight that showed how times had changed took place at UFC 63 where the heavily favoured Jens Pulver took on Joe Lauzon, the fight was being billed as Pulver's big return and he was there to make short work of the unknown newcomer Lauzon, however once the bell rang Lauzon came at Pulver with a furious pace and scored a first round stoppage.
Randy Couture has shown over the years that age isn't the be all and end all in this sport, however it is a major factor in a mixed martial artists' fighting life. Veterans like Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman and Gary Goodridge are all in their mid forties and are still competing in MMA today although most fans believe they should retire gracefully.
It isn't set in stone yet but it looks like former UFC champion Jens 'Lil Evil' Pulver is going to hang up his gloves after suffering his fith straight defeat at the last WEC event. It seems it has reached a point in Pulver's career where his fans would rather see him retire than see him get hurt in the cage, which was acknowledged in his post fight interview, "I love you too much to keep putting you through this".
One fighter who perhaps should have retired a while ago is crafty veteran Kazushi Sakuraba. Though still highly technical, Sakuraba isn't the same fighter who fought off the Gracie's and revolutionised Japanese MMA. His recent fights have seen him drop a decision in a lack - lustre fight against his old nemesis Royce Gracie and fall victim to a brutal KO at the hands of Melvin Manhoef. However if Japanese promoters keep giving him fighters of the same calibre as that of his last opponent (Rubin Williams) he could stick around for a while longer yet.
The current series of 'The Ultimate Fighter' sees the return of fan favourite Chuck Liddell, whether or not this is a wise move for 'The Iceman' is yet to be proven. Chuck will always be a massive draw but after going 1-4 in his last five fights even UFC President Dana White has tried to persuade The Hall Of Famer to retire. Liddell's bid to stay active in the UFC was unsuccessful against Shogun, however Dana White has decided to give him another chance, although after the Rashad Evans fight Liddell's fans can't help but be concerned for his well being when he steps in the cage.
Are there any fighters you feel should retire ? Do they make you feel uneasy when they are in the cage or are they just boring to watch ? What are your thoughts ? Send us your opinions...
Joe McNally
posted by David Kirkland at Monday, April 19, 2010 - Read Full Post -
