(Brown ends the Faber Era™ at WEC 36. Photo via Getty.)
Following his unanimous decision win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 146, Mike Brown told Ariel Helwani that he was “getting near the end” of his mixed martial arts career, and that he would give himself two weeks to determine whether or not he would, or could, continue fighting. By the time those two weeks had come and gone, Brown had signed a five fight extension with the UFC. It was a hopeful sign for the former WEC featherweight champion, who had fallen on some hard times after reentering the UFC in 2011 only to suffer back-to-back decision losses.
Unfortunately, Brown’s next fight would see his original opponent, Akira Corassani, replaced by fellow TUF alum Steven Siler, who would in turn finish Brown with punches just under a minute into their preliminary card scrap at Fight Night 26. It was a fight I was personally on hand for, and one made all the more tough to watch as a big fan and follower of Brown’s 12 year career.
And now, it seems that Brown has finally decided to call it quits. Sort of.
In an interview with MMAJunkie published earlier today, Brown stated that he has decided to step away from the fighting aspect of MMA, but avoided using the big r-word in doing so.
I don’t think I’ll fight again,” Brown told MMAjunkie. “I haven’t retired, just in case, because I don’t want to be a guy who walks away and comes right back.”
(Brown ends the Faber Era™ at WEC 36. Photo via Getty.)
Following his unanimous decision win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 146, Mike Brown told Ariel Helwani that he was “getting near the end” of his mixed martial arts career, and that he would give himself two weeks to determine whether or not he would, or could, continue fighting. By the time those two weeks had come and gone, Brown had signed a five fight extension with the UFC. It was a hopeful sign for the former WEC featherweight champion, who had fallen on some hard times after reentering the UFC in 2011 only to suffer back-to-back decision losses.
Unfortunately, Brown’s next fight would see his original opponent, Akira Corassani, replaced by fellow TUF alum Steven Siler, who would in turn finish Brown with punches just under a minute into their preliminary card scrap at Fight Night 26. It was a fight I was personally on hand for, and one made all the more tough to watch as a big fan and follower of Brown’s 12 year career.
And now, it seems that Brown has finally decided to call it quits. Sort of.
In an interview with MMAJunkie published earlier today, Brown stated that he has decided to step away from the fighting aspect of MMA, but avoided using the big r-word in doing so.
I don’t think I’ll fight again,” Brown told MMAjunkie. “I haven’t retired, just in case, because I don’t want to be a guy who walks away and comes right back.”
It’s been an interesting road for the man who shockingly ended the Faber Era at WEC 36 back in 2008. After dethroning “The California Kid” that November night with what many considered a fluke TKO, Brown would validate the win with a dominant first round submission over Leonard Garcia and a dominate decision victory over Faber in their rematch at WEC 41 the following year. As bad luck would have it, Brown would be paired up with some guy named Jose Aldo in his next match, effectively ending his reign as the featherweight champion.
Brown would string together 4 wins beside 3 losses before the Siler fight, but it was the neck injury he suffered in the lead-up to his UFC on FOX 11-scheduled fight with Estevan Payan that finally forced him to accept the physical toll a decade-plus career had taken on his body:
I don’t think I’ll fight again. I haven’t retired, just in case, because I don’t want to be a guy who walks away and comes right back.
It’s hard when you’ve got only one hand that’s working properly. I can’t hold onto anything with my left. If I try to grab somebody’s wrist they can easily pull away because my strength is gone. Usually in a month or two, that strength comes back, but if I bang my head and get a stinger, it goes away again. It’s just continuously active.
His fighting career now in the rearview mirror, Brown says that he plans to focus on coaching over at American Top Team for now. With a 35 fight record that includes wins over Faber, Garcia, Mark Hominick, and Yves Edwards, it would be hard to say that he is under qualified for the gig.
“This is my last fight,” the Janitor told Frank Trigg during an appearance on the “Toe to Toe With Trigg” interview show on MMAOddsbreaker earlier this week. “Doesn’t matter win or lose. That’s it. [I’ll start] training people, there’s a possibility to open my own gym again. Or I could go the complete opposite direction and work the railroad. I’ll be happy just keeping myself busy.”
I’m going to call it right now: Matyushenko is going to lose to Beltran — not that it really matters, even to Matyushenko himself. (“Doesn’t matter win or lose.”) Remember last month when Cyrille Diabate announced his retirement before his fight against Ilir Latifi, and then got choked out without attempting a single significant strike? Diabate’s desire to win had already left him. He was just fulfilling an obligation. That’s basically what’s happening here with Matyushenko.
(This is probably the most modest, understated highlight reel I’ve ever seen. Very fitting, actually.)
“This is my last fight,” the Janitor told Frank Trigg during an appearance on the “Toe to Toe With Trigg” interview show on MMAOddsbreaker earlier this week. “Doesn’t matter win or lose. That’s it. [I’ll start] training people, there’s a possibility to open my own gym again. Or I could go the complete opposite direction and work the railroad. I’ll be happy just keeping myself busy.”
I’m going to call it right now: Matyushenko is going to lose to Beltran — not that it really matters, even to Matyushenko himself. (“Doesn’t matter win or lose.”) Remember last month when Cyrille Diabate announced his retirement before his fight against Ilir Latifi, and then got choked out without attempting a single significant strike? Diabate’s desire to win had already left him. He was just fulfilling an obligation. That’s basically what’s happening here with Matyushenko.
On the positive side, V-Mat enjoyed a long and mostly-successful MMA career which was highlighted by a light-heavyweight title reign during his 6-0 stint in the IFL, and 12 appearances in the UFC over two separate stints (2001-2003, 2009-2013), including a title fight against Tito Ortiz at UFC 33. Matyushenko put together a 27-7 lifetime record, with wins over guys like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tim Boetsch, Igor Pokrajac, and most recently Houston Alexander during his Bellator debut last September (which kind of sucked, to be honest). He helped launch the careers of Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson by serving as a reputable opponent that they could smash.
And now, the 43-year-old Belarusian is hanging up the gloves, perhaps to “work the railroad.” We wish Matyushenko the best with everything that comes next.
Bosse, who was scheduled to face Ryan Jimmo at the TUF Nations Finale on April 16th until a shoulder injury forced him off the card, cited a recent rash of injuries as the reason for his decision:
“My body is talking to me,” Bosse told Canadian publication La Presse. “It’s time that I make the right decision.”
The former hockey enforcer, who has allegedly partaken in over 200 hockey fights, will retire with a record of 10-1 and wins over UFC veterans Wes Sims, Marvin Eastman, and Houston Alexander (the last of which came via hellacious standing elbow KO, in case you weren’t aware). Additionally, word has it that Bosse holds the distinct honor of being the only hockey player who ever took off his skate and tried to stab someone with it.
Bosse, who was scheduled to face Ryan Jimmo at the TUF Nations Finale on April 16th until a shoulder injury forced him off the card, cited a recent rash of injuries as the reason for his decision:
“My body is talking to me,” Bosse told Canadian publication La Presse. “It’s time that I make the right decision.”
The former hockey enforcer, who has allegedly partaken in over 200 hockey fights, will retire with a record of 10-1 and wins over UFC veterans Wes Sims, Marvin Eastman, and Houston Alexander (the last of which came via hellacious standing elbow KO, in case you weren’t aware). Additionally, word has it that Bosse holds the distinct honor of being the only hockey player who ever took off his skate and tried to stab someone with it.
But there is a silver lining to be found in all this, at least for Bosse. The 11 fight MMA veteran also told La Presse that he will now pursue work as a firefighter, and that his decision to step away was also influenced by the upswing his personal life has recently taken.
“When I started in hockey, I had rage in me,” he said. “This sport helped me channel that. It was my therapy. Today, that rage is no longer in me. Today, I’m doing well. I don’t feel the need to fight anymore, to go make war.”
Thanks for the memories, Steve. Enjoy that lucrative golf-career and Bob Barker ass-whooping you are inevitably destined for.
To honor Bosse’s brief-yet-violent run as an MMA fighter, here is once again footage of him putting Houston Alexander to bed.
Jay Hieronannounced his retirement from MMA competition today via twitter. He retires with a 23-7 record, accrued over 10 years of competition.
Jay Hieronannounced his retirement from MMA competition today via twitter. He retires with a 23-7 record, accrued over 10 years of competition.
Hieron was truly one of the most well-traveled fighters in MMA. He fought for every big organization to grace the sport in the last era. He made his mark in Strikeforce, Bellator, the WEC, and the IFL. In the latter organization, he captured gold for the first and only time in his career, becoming the inaugural IFL welterweight champion.
Hieron’s success in the B-leagues of MMA never translated into success in the UFC, however. He lost all four of his fights in the world’s leading MMA organization. That doesn’t mean Hieron was a poor fighter though. He has wins over the likes of Pat Healy, Rick Story, Jason High, Rick Hawn, and Joe Riggs, (and debatably over Ben Askren). And for the most part, Hieron only lost to the best.
Hieron’s retirement signifies an ending era of MMA. There are few fighters of his ilk anymore—men who have fought for every would-be claimant to the UFC’s throne. The landscape is different now. The only organizations big enough to showcase talent aren’t big enough to keep it.
We wish Jay Hieron the best in his life outside the cage.
UFC lightweight Mac Danzigannounced his retirement from MMA yesterday, after a 12-year professional career marked by a King of the Cage title reign, a dominant run on The Ultimate Fighter, and inconsistent performances in the Octagon. Danzig most recently competed at UFC on FOX 9 in December, where he lost a unanimous decision to Joe Lauzon. It was Danzig’s third consecutive defeat, and dropped his official UFC record to 5-8.
It has been a long, amazing, arduous, thrilling, painful, depressing, spectacular, self-realizing, worthwhile struggle of a journey, for which I have no regrets. I have accomplished a lot in the sport, especially thanks to the many opportunities the UFC has given me. The competition level that I reached is far beyond what I ever imagined being able to do when I first set out to be a fighter in the year 2000. That being said, in hindsight, my enthusiasm and motivation for competition definitely reached it’s peak around 2008 (after 7 years prior of toiling in the minor professional leagues) and it’s been an uphill battle ever since.
I really have been struggling the past few years with contemplating retirement. And with it in the back of my mind, my performance has suffered. Only those closest to me know about this. A true fighter never wants to give it up. The will to compete dies hard. I have had to teach myself that intelligently stepping away does not equal “giving up”.
When you slow down in most other sports, whether due to injury or lack of passion, usually you can still preserve your personal dignity and your physical brain, and keep working hard until you truly know it’s time to leave, but that’s not always the case in MMA.
(Photo via Getty)
UFC lightweight Mac Danzigannounced his retirement from MMA yesterday, after a 12-year professional career marked by a King of the Cage title reign, a dominant run on The Ultimate Fighter, and inconsistent performances in the Octagon. Danzig most recently competed at UFC on FOX 9 in December, where he lost a unanimous decision to Joe Lauzon. It was Danzig’s third consecutive defeat, and dropped his official UFC record to 5-8.
It has been a long, amazing, arduous, thrilling, painful, depressing, spectacular, self-realizing, worthwhile struggle of a journey, for which I have no regrets. I have accomplished a lot in the sport, especially thanks to the many opportunities the UFC has given me. The competition level that I reached is far beyond what I ever imagined being able to do when I first set out to be a fighter in the year 2000. That being said, in hindsight, my enthusiasm and motivation for competition definitely reached it’s peak around 2008 (after 7 years prior of toiling in the minor professional leagues) and it’s been an uphill battle ever since.
I really have been struggling the past few years with contemplating retirement. And with it in the back of my mind, my performance has suffered. Only those closest to me know about this. A true fighter never wants to give it up. The will to compete dies hard. I have had to teach myself that intelligently stepping away does not equal “giving up”.
When you slow down in most other sports, whether due to injury or lack of passion, usually you can still preserve your personal dignity and your physical brain, and keep working hard until you truly know it’s time to leave, but that’s not always the case in MMA.
Physically speaking, I have felt great from the neck-down throughout most all of my career, (with the exception of a few injuries here and there) so it was very hard to consider leaving when I knew my body would continue to perform amazing feats of endurance and skill, should I ask it to. Really, the only physical cue for me to step back from competition came last year, when I began to suffer repeated concussions in training, leading up to what would end up being my first ever actual knockout loss, in July. After that, my ability to take hard strikes in training without losing consciousness began to deteriorate rapidly.
After 14 years of training and taking shots like a champ, my brain was finally telling me to chill out. I was never the type of fighter to “train stupid”, but sparring was always something I partook in at full throttle. I truly feel that the damage was done in the gym over the past decade, and hundreds of hard sparring sessions have accumulated, leading me to the situation I find myself in now. Certainly, some of my performances throughout the years in which I had fallen short can be directly attributed to the idea that I “left it all in the gym.”
I would like to serve as an example for the up and coming fighters of the world and hopefully encourage smarter training practices that include less sustained trauma in training camp, leading to a longer, healthier career and better performances in the ring.
As a parent, I must take into consideration how important my sustained brain function is and how tragic it would be to have Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc. Nobody ever forced me, I chose to be a fighter and I have no regrets about what has already transpired thus far, but I must make the right decision for the future. This was never a concern for me until I became a father. And fighting, to me, had never seemed even the slightest bit dangerous until the past year. That is a good sign for me to bow out. As a hardcore fan, I have seen far too many people in the sports of MMA and boxing let themselves stay in far too long. Legacies get tarnished and the body pays for it as well. Part of me wants to fight forever, but I feel I am making the right decision.
I could complain and go on and on about how tough it is to be a fighter, how time-consuming and self-focused it is, and how nobody understands what it’s like, (which may be true) but I chose this path in a free world and what I have received from this trip has been incredibly rewarding, far beyond any pain…
I have not decided exactly what I’m going to do professionally full-time, but I am planning to stay involved with the sport, continuing to work with the UFC (if possible), training students 1-on-1, coaching fighters and giving seminars. While I continue this line of work, I am still making time to pursue my passions in other arts, as a nature photographer/tour-guide, freelance cinematographer, writer and public speaker…Animal rights, human rights and diet/health are still very much in my blood and I will continue to promote them with good conscious into the future.
This has ended up being far more long-winded than I had originally planned, so I’ll cut it short now. I just want to end by saying that I truly appreciate the support I have gotten from the fans. I have been lucky enough to leave my mark, compete for millions and inspire many people during my fighting career, and that positive energy has always reflected back and resonated throughout me. Thank you for being a part of this. The continuation starts now.
When Danzig entered the UFC via TUF 6 in 2007, it was clear that his talent level was miles ahead of his fellow cast-members. Though he had come to the show following back-to-back losses to Clay French and Hayato Sakurai (in his lone PRIDE appearance), Danzig had already racked up over 20 pro fights and had been a four-time defending lightweight champion for King of the Cage.
Danzig sliced through the welterweight bracket on TUF 6, winning four consecutive fights by first-round stoppage — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished before, and has only been replicated since then by Diego Brandao. After choking out Tommy Speer at the TUF 6 Finale and dominating Mark Bocek in his return to lightweight at UFC 83 in April 2008, it seemed like Danzig was on his way to becoming a legitimate threat in the UFC’s 155-pound division.
That’s about when Mac lost his passion for the sport, to hear him tell it, and his record certainly reflected that. He lost eight of his next 11 fights, racking up two separate three-fight losing streaks in 2008-2009 and 2012-2013. Still, the UFC kept him around and rewarded his fan-friendly style — he won Fight of the Night bonuses for three of his losses, and a Knockout of the Night bonus for KO’ing Joe Setevenson at UFC 124.
Mac Danzig will always be one of those UFC fighters who didn’t live up to the expectations that we placed on him. Fortunately, he’s leaving the sport on his own terms, for the right reasons, and without any apparent bitterness. Despite his losses, Danzig spent half of his career competing at the highest level of the sport. Not many MMA fighters can say that.
Thanks for the great fights, Mac, and good luck with whatever comes next.
(Just off camera, Guy Fieri could be heard describing these ribs as “A 1-2 punch to the taste buds from the heavyweight champion of Flavortown. Zabadoo!”)
A 50+ fight veteran of the game since 2002 who has fought under the IFL, WEC, KOTC, and UFC banners, Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski announced his retirement from MMA on Twitter earlier this week, stating:
It’s about that time! Want to thank @VFDMarketing @ufc @teamcurranmma @SuckerPunchEnt all my fans but I’m officially hanging it up!
Although he was released from the UFC last May following a three fight skid, Palaszewski steps away from the sport with an impressive 36-17 record and wins over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Ivan Menjivar, and most notably, current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Additionally, Palaszewski was a two-time “Of the Night” winner in his brief UFC stint, scoring a KOTN over Griffin at UFC 137 and putting in a FOTN-worthy performance against Diego Nunes at UFC on FOX 10.
But perhaps the most significant thing we can take away from Palaszewski’s career was his absolute fearlessness in the cage. This is a man who was in some absolute wars, people (his battle with Ryan Shultz at the 2006 IFL championships comes to mind), yet never backed down from a fight and always looked for the finish.
We would like to thank “Bartimus” for his devotion to putting on a show in the cage as well as wish him the best of luck wherever the road takes him. Join us after the jump for a look back at some of Palaszewski’s finest moments.
(Just off camera, Guy Fieri could be heard describing these ribs as “A 1-2 punch to the taste buds from the heavyweight champion of Flavortown. Zabadoo!”)
A 50+ fight veteran of the game since 2002 who has fought under the IFL, WEC, KOTC, and UFC banners, Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski announced his retirement from MMA on Twitter earlier this week, stating:
It’s about that time! Want to thank @VFDMarketing @ufc @teamcurranmma @SuckerPunchEnt all my fans but I’m officially hanging it up!
Although he was released from the UFC last May following a three fight skid, Palaszewski steps away from the sport with an impressive 36-17 record and wins over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Ivan Menjivar, and most notably, current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Additionally, Palaszewski was a two-time “Of the Night” winner in his brief UFC stint, scoring a KOTN over Griffin at UFC 137 and putting in a FOTN-worthy performance against Diego Nunes at UFC on FOX 10.
But perhaps the most significant thing we can take away from Palaszewski’s career was his absolute fearlessness in the cage. This is a man who was in some absolute wars, people (his battle with Ryan Shultz at the 2006 IFL championships comes to mind), yet never backed down from a fight and always looked for the finish.
We would like to thank “Bartimus” for his devotion to putting on a show in the cage as well as wish him the best of luck wherever the road takes him. Join us after the jump for a look back at some of Palaszewski’s finest moments.
