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Kurt Pellegrino Announces He’s Stepping Away From MMA Competition, Possibly Forever

(“At least I’ve still got my modelling career.”)

Remember when Kurt Pellegrino said he would retire if he lost to George Sotiropoulos at UFC 116 and then decided that because he was injured in the bout and came close to finishing G-Sots in the closing minutes, he was taking a do-over on his vow?

Well, it looks like Pellegrino made the same pledge to himself prior to his UFC 128 fight with Gleison Tibau as ‘Batman’ announced today via his personal website that he has opted to not sign a new contract with the UFC following back-to-back losses in the Octagon. Instead, the 16-6 Point Pleasant, NJ lightweight who is 7-5 in the UFC says he will shift his focus to his jiu-jitsu students and on improving his jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing skills for if and when he decides to make a return to fighting.

(“At least I’ve still got my modelling career.”)

“Over my most recent fights I have come to the realization that at this point I no longer can, nor want to make fighting my first priority. Never in my career have I lost two fights in a row and my last fight’s decision in particular was especially hard for me to swallow to be honest. Even last year when i was on a 4 fight win streak I still was questioning myself. This has made me reconsider what my next step will be competitively. I have spoken at length with Joe Silva about my decision and have decided not to renew my contract with the UFC.

I want to take the time to regroup, refocus, and rethink what it is that I want to do going forward. I want to do things that I enjoy right now and refresh my mind. I want to concentrate on my BJJ game and improve it. I want to work on my boxing game and improve that also. I’d like to compete in some grappling tournaments again like the old days and maybe even try my hand at a pro boxing fight.

I want to have fun training again, bottom line.”

Considering his fight with Tibau was so close that it ended in a split decision, an announcement of this magnitude seems at first glance like it may have been a hastily made decision, but according to Pellegrino he has been contemplating it for the past two-and-a-half months since the bout and a big part of the decision wasn’t necessarily fighting-related.

“My daughter is four years old and I can’t tell you how much of her life I’ve missed dedicating my life to training for fights. I did so willingly and I’ve made a lucrative career with the UFC, but I’m not sure I could ever say any amount of money was worth it. My wife and I just welcomed a baby boy and I can’t bear the thought of missing as much of his ‘firsts’ as I did my daughter’s.”

Although he mentions that there is still the possibility that he may return to fight one day down the road, Pellegrino said that if not he’s ready for the next chapter of his life, which will undoubtedly see him involved in the sport in some capacity.

“It is bitter sweet to possibly end my career on a loss and something I will have to deal with on my own, but overall it has been a rewarding 11 years for me and I want the end to be on my terms and no one else’s. Its hard to make a decision like this, but I feel its best for me to step away for now and time will tell what the future will bring for me. I don’t want to retire, but I need to find myself and find my love for this sport again.

I am very proud of what I have accomplished over the past eleven years in this sport. I was able to do all the things that I set out to do, which includes achieving a black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu, competing in the world championship Abu Dhabi tournament, and fighting all over the world including Japan and of course in the top MMA organization in the world, the UFC, for five years and 12 fights. Of those twelve fights I was awarded five ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Submission of the Night’ honors and for that I am proud.

There are so many people I owe so much to I can’t begin to name them all. Thank you to Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Joe Silva for the opportunity to fight in the best organization in the world for all these years. Thank you to all my coaches, training partners, my agent, my sponsors, and my students for their support. And thank you to my family, especially my wife for her undying love and encouragement all these years.

Hopefully you will see me in the cage again, but if not thanks to everyone for the memories, its been an awesome ride.”

Does anyone else smell a jackass-like reality show in Kurt’s future?

UFC 131: 10 Burning Questions Heading into UFC 131

UFC 130 is in the books and while many were disappointed in the performances in the two headlining bouts, the preliminary card fights allowed some of the lesser known UFC talent to steal the spotlight from the big names.Rick Story showed that his ca…

Rick Story showed that his calling out Thiago Alves was far from a mistake as he took a unanimous decsion victory from the highly ranked welterweight, setting himself up to make a charge up that division’s rankings.

Travis Browne remained unbeaten, advancing his record to 11-0-1, with a highlight reel Superman punch to the chin of Stefan Struve, dropping the ‘Skyscraper’ to the mat in the first round.

Brian Stann scored his second inpressive TKO victory in as many fights, overpowering the former Sengoku champion, Jorge Santiago.

Tim Boetsch looked impressive in his first bout since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight, using his wrestling skills to neutralize Kendall Grove.

Miguel Torres and Demetrious Johnson delivered in their bantamweight battle, with Johnson getting the nod over Torres in a fight that could have very easily been scored the other way.

The UFC’s next numbered event will be UFC 131, which will take place from Vancouver, British Columbia’s, Rogers Arena on June 11.

What follows are 10 burning questions heading into UFC 131, which will be headlined by a main event bout between Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin.

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5 Things to Watch for in Kenny Florian’s Featherweight Debut

Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut at UFC 131 in Vancouver on June 11, and I for one am looking forward to seeing it. Florian is dropping down after two legitimate runs at the 155-pound title and will face tough Brazilian and WEC veteran D…

It is always interesting when a fighter switches weight divisions and this is no different with Florian. It will be all about adjustments for him and I’m sure he will be in peak shape and ready to roll on fight night.

I am looking forward to this match-up big time and will be in the building that night, and when I zoom in on Ken Flo that night, I will be looking for some specific things that are questions in my mind in regards to his decision to drop down and his game in general.

Here are five things to watch for in Kenny Florian’s featherweight division debut.

5. Will he make this a stand up war?

Florian’s stand up—and Muay Thai in general—is well known and respected, yet that is also the base of Nunes’ game. Will Kenny look to out bang Nunes to try and make a point that he is the new big bully in town?

If so, we could be in for some fireworks here and I must take Florian to prevail on points.

4. Was size a factor for him at 155 pounds or does he really have poor take down defense?

In his big fights against bigger guys he got taken down too many times at crucial times and many believe it was due to a size disadvantage. Nunes will test that too as he has strength, and will look to take Kenny down if he feels he is in trouble on his feet.

If Nunes is successful, then it will be crystal clear that wrestling and take down defense are not strengths of Ken Flo’s game.

3. Will he be aggressive and look to finish fast to make a statement?

Remember when Kenny emphatically stated to Joe Rogan, “I FINISH FIGHTS AT 155!”? Well he isn’t lying and we will see if Kenny can finish and finish quick at 145 pounds as well. I believe he needs a lopsided beat down win to really legitimize his shot at Aldo.

Will Florian rush out, push forward and unleash hell? I sure hope so because if he is cautious in this fight, it will seem that some of the piss and vinegar has been lost from his game.

2. Will he try and implement his GSP-type game plan that didn’t work for him at 155?

Whether it be a jab and push strategy to a take down and top control clinic in Vancouver, if Kenny tries to follow the Firas Zahabi school of safe and secure in his fight with Nunes he will not endear himself to the fans that night or set himself up for any type of demand vs. Jose Aldo.

A win is a win and I’m not saying he’s going to do it, but just watch for it. He might pull it out as a last resort if Nunes gets the upper hand at all.

1. Will he overlook Nunes and make a critical error and lose this fight?

With all the air time that Ken Flo gets, we have all heard of his master plan to fight Jose Aldo and that that was the reason he came down to 145 pounds in the first place. He better be motivated for Nunes and look him dead in the eye because this guy is hungry for Aldo too and he is not to be overlooked.

If Kenny makes that mistake, he will be in an incredibly tough spot in his career where his relevancy at either weight class may come into question. My opinion is if he makes that mistake he deserves all the criticism he gets and he will have to dig deep to come out of the spot he will be in.

Enjoy the fight everyone, it will be a key moment in Kenny Florian’s career.

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Kenny Florian Wants to Face Champ Jose Aldo, Not Through at 155

Quips about Kenny Florian’s move to featherweight have been heard over and over again since he announced his decision to move down a weight class in February.A former middleweight and welterweight as well, Florian is no stranger to the weight cutting g…

Quips about Kenny Florian’s move to featherweight have been heard over and over again since he announced his decision to move down a weight class in February.

A former middleweight and welterweight as well, Florian is no stranger to the weight cutting game, despite the constant jokes and questions about whether he will make weight for his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes in June.

Responding to criticism about not being able to compete against bigger opponents at 155, the former lightweight contender told MMAWeekly, “I know I’ve done well at 55 and I know I can be a champion at 155.”

The real reason for the move: a chance to face current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

“It all started when I was offered a fight with Jose Aldo at 155 pounds, and when that opportunity arose, I just started thinking Jose won’t go up to 155, could I be able to make it at 145?” Florian said.

Finding himself at a stage in his career where he wants “to face the best”, the Bostonian viewed a move down in weight as a way to test his skills against the promotion’s best lighter weight warriors.

With fighters like Mark Hominick and top contender Chad Mendes making waves in the featherweight division, Florian has a wealth of talent to test himself against – but the real prize is the belt.

“I see it as an opportunity to face one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in Jose Aldo, hopefully, down the line”, Florian stated.

Mendes looks like the next in line for Aldo’s belt, but a win over Nunes at UFC 131 will definitely put Florian into mix, with a shot for the title possibly coming before the year’s end.

With hopes for success in a new division, the newly minted featherweight isn’t done at lightweight just yet, telling MMAWeekly, “Going down to 45 is a new challenge, and I expect to be at 155 (again) soon.”

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UFC 131 Fight Card: Early Predictions for Every Fight

UFC 131 has just had a major shake up.Originally the main event was to be Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos for the No. 1 contendership to the heavyweight title.Unfortunately, a flare up of diverticulitis has forced Lesnar to pull out of the scheduled…

UFC 131 has just had a major shake up.

Originally the main event was to be Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos for the No. 1 contendership to the heavyweight title.

Unfortunately, a flare up of diverticulitis has forced Lesnar to pull out of the scheduled bout.

Luckily for the UFC, Shane Carwin was set to fight on that card already, and he agreed to move up into the main event and take on Junior dos Santos in a No. 1 contender bout.

So now the main event features two outstanding strikers, in a fight that is sure to end in a knockout.

But who’s going to get the knockout? And what about the rest of the fights?

Read on to find out my early predictions for every fight on the card.

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UFC News: Jose Aldo Needed Antibiotics, Says Head Trainer

During his featherweight title defense at UFC 129, Jose Aldo did not appear to be himself against his opponent, Mark Hominick. While he did successfully defend his title, there was something slightly off about the champion on this night, as he looked r…

His head trainer at Nova Uniao, Andre Pederneiras, told Sherdog.com that the Brazilian was on antibiotics for an infection he received just days prior to the event.

“He suffered a cut on his toe [on April 23] and it got infected with bacteria,” Pederneiras said.

“He went through heavy medical treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills from Sunday to Tuesday. He took the heavy dosage so that he wouldn’t have to take more drugs closer to the fight.”

The rumors surrounding his suspected illness only grew following his fight with Hominick, when his cornerman Marion Sandro was seen criticizing Aldo after he complained about wanting to take more antibiotics.

“Antibiotics wouldn’t have helped at all,” Sandro told Aldo. “You’re the champion, kid. F–k the antibiotics. Everything is OK. You fought well, smooth and composed.”

Aldo is likely to fight much sooner following his fourth title defense, as it is expected he will square off against unbeaten featherweight Chad Mendes at UFC 133. Although another challenger could emerge at UFC 131 when Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut against Aldo’s teammate Diego Nunes.

Pederneiras said he is aware of the possibility that both Aldo and Nunes might have to fight each other, but the Nova Uniao trainer said their potential bout is not any of his concern.

“I think it will be against Chad Mendes,” Pederneiras says of Aldo’s future opponent.

“But Diego and everyone from Nova União knows that if they have to fight against each other, they will. I just don’t know how we would manage it, but they know they’re fighters and it’s their job. If the boss orders it, we’ll work on that situation. They’ll fight against whoever they’re matched with.”

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