Tag: retirement

And Now He’s Retired: Jorge Gurgel Calls It Quits After Horrific Accident Claims His Mother’s Life

On August 29th, Silvia Gallo, the mother of UFC and Strikeforce veteran Jorge Gurgel, was hit by a taxi while crossing Madison Avenue and 79th Street in New York City’s Upper East Side. She was killed almost instantly, despite the incredible efforts of several bystanders to save her.

Jorge had spoken to his mother some 40 minutes before the accident. She was running a few final errands before departing the city to begin a year-long stay in Ireland, where she would work as a Pilates instructor. The conversation they had was brief, but nothing short of foreboding, as MMAJunkie reports:

She literally said, ‘If you die tomorrow, everybody’s lives will still go on. You don’t need to take care of everybody. I want you to get rid of all the bad energy in your life. You have to get rid of all the crazy.

It was of those mom speeches.

Jorge’s mom was always his biggest supporter, even if she couldn’t find it in her to attend her son’s fights in person. Recalled Gurgel, “Everywhere we went (she said), ‘This is my son. The fighter I talked about. This is the fighter.’ She was just so proud.”

But at the same time, Silvia was also the strongest proponent urging for his retirement. It was “never his true calling,” she would tell him. After 12 years and nearly 25 professional bouts, Gurgel had done as much as he could as a fighter. But as a coach, there was still plenty of life left in him.

“If you continue to fight, you’re never going to give your students or the future generation a fair chance,” she told him.

And in keeping with his mother’s wish, Jorge Gurgel has decided to retire from mixed martial arts competition.

On August 29th, Silvia Gallo, the mother of UFC and Strikeforce veteran Jorge Gurgel, was hit by a taxi while crossing Madison Avenue and 79th Street in New York City’s Upper East Side. She was killed almost instantly, despite the incredible efforts of several bystanders to save her.

Jorge had spoken to his mother some 40 minutes before the accident. She was running a few final errands before departing the city to begin a year-long stay in Ireland, where she would work as a Pilates instructor. The conversation they had was brief, but nothing short of foreboding, as MMAJunkie reports:

She literally said, ‘If you die tomorrow, everybody’s lives will still go on. You don’t need to take care of everybody. I want you to get rid of all the bad energy in your life. You have to get rid of all the crazy.

It was of those mom speeches.

Jorge’s mom was always his biggest supporter, even if she couldn’t find it in her to attend her son’s fights in person. Recalled Gurgel, “Everywhere we went (she said), ‘This is my son. The fighter I talked about. This is the fighter.’ She was just so proud.”

But at the same time, Silvia was also the strongest proponent urging for his retirement. It was “never his true calling,” she would tell him. After 12 years and nearly 25 professional bouts, Gurgel had done as much as he could as a fighter. But as a coach, there was still plenty of life left in him.

“If you continue to fight, you’re never going to give your students or the future generation a fair chance,” she told him.

And in keeping with his mother’s wish, Jorge Gurgel has decided to retire from mixed martial arts competition.

It was always ironic that Gurgel, a man who has long been renowned for his coaching skills, never could quite follow a gameplan when he was the one donning the 4 oz gloves. A third degree black belt, Gurgel opted to stand and trade haymakers with his opponents more often than not as a fighter, a highly determining factor in his just above .500 record. (His back-and-forth technical slugfest with Aaron Riley at UFC 91 sticks out in my mind most. God, what a fight that was.)

“I may not have always followed the game plans.” said Gurgel. “If I had, I would have been more successful. But did I fight with all my heart? Yes. I’m a warrior. I’m an old-school warrior.

“I always left it all in the cage. Every time I stepped in the cage was my proudest moment – knowing that I stepped in the cage every single time 100 percent prepared and gave it my all.”

It would be hard to argue with him on that. Gurgel retires with a professional record of 14-10, but will continue to coach and serve his community moving forward. He will honor his mother’s life in the most positive way possible, because it’s what his mother would have wanted.

She was all about positivity. She had the biggest smile in the world. She hated people that played ‘poor me, poor me.’ She was all about owning your s–t. Get the hell up. Get your s–t done. Don’t find excuses. She did not believe in excuses.

Best of luck to you, Jorge, wherever the road takes you.

–J. Jones

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira To Retire! In 2015!


(via Nog’s Instagram)

There was a time, not too long ago, when Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was considered indestructible. Beatable maybe, but finishable? Please. What was Fedor or Cro Cop or Werdum going to do to Big Nog that a Mac truck hadn’t already done? You could drop an anvil on this guy’s face, an anvil I tells ya, and his jaw would split the sumbitch in half like a coconut.

Lately, however, Nogueira has looked something less than invincible in the octagon. He’s looked slow, tired, vulnerable. That he’s been finished in all five of his past losses (alongside which he has earned just three wins) further points to his ever-deteriorating skillset, with his most recent knockout loss to Roy Nelson being a particularly tough pill to swallow. Or even look at. Yet he forges ahead, despite near constant protests by fans, media members, and most likely his family to call it quits.

I know, you’ve heard this all before — hell, I’ve probably lamented Nog’s stubbornness a couple dozen times by now. But today brings good news, Potato Nation! In an interview with Ag.Fight (via MMAFighting), “Minotauro” finally discussed his retirement! Hallelujer!!

And the best news is…it’s not happening as soon it should, actually…


(via Nog’s Instagram)

There was a time, not too long ago, when Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was considered indestructible. Beatable maybe, but finishable? Please. What was Fedor or Cro Cop or Werdum going to do to Big Nog that a Mac truck hadn’t already done? You could drop an anvil on this guy’s face, an anvil I tells ya, and his jaw would split the sumbitch in half like a coconut.

Lately, however, Nogueira has looked something less than invincible in the octagon. He’s looked slow, tired, vulnerable. That he’s been finished in all five of his past losses (alongside which he has earned just three wins) further points to his ever-deteriorating skillset, with his most recent knockout loss to Roy Nelson being a particularly tough pill to swallow. Or even look at. Yet he forges ahead, despite near constant protests by fans, media members, and most likely his family to call it quits.

I know, you’ve heard this all before — hell, I’ve probably lamented Nog’s stubbornness a couple dozen times by now. But today brings good news, Potato Nation! In an interview with Ag.Fight (via MMAFighting), “Minotauro” finally discussed his retirement! Hallelujer!!

And the best news is…it’s not happening as soon it should, actually:

I know I won’t fight forever. I’m focused on my gym’s business now. It’s a beautiful work, we have 9,000 students, 32 gyms. … I plan to end my career by the end of the next year, I believe. One more year. It’s until the point my body can handle.

So many injuries, I’m dedicating to other things now. I will decide when the time comes. I have two more fights in my contract, and then I’ll stop (fighting).

Well, I guess that’s the best we’re gonna get.

While Nogueira’s decision to fulfill his contract is an honorable one — in that old timey, “go down with the ship” sense of the term — I can’t help but think that the string of injuries he is currently dealing with might tie in with the whole “point my body can handle” thing he was talking about. Then again, he’s only 38 years old, and if Gray Maynard is just “a young kid” at 35 (according to Dana White), maybe Nogueira still has some good years left in him just waiting to get out!

You know what, fuck it. I’m back on Team Big Nog, baby! I say wait ’till he heals up and pair him against Alistair Overeem! YOU HEAR THAT, REEM? YOUR DAY OF RECKONING FOR HURTING JON JONES IS COMING!!! YEE HAW!!!!

–J. Jones

Following Third Straight TKO Loss, Gray Maynard Still Isn’t Being “Chased Out of the Game” Just Yet


(Hey Ross, why do you gotta be so, like, aggressive? Just take a hit of this and chillllllllll. Photo via Getty.)

Given what we recently found out about Krzysztof Soszynski’s struggles with memory loss following his 39-fight career, it’s almost inevitable that we’d be asking the same questions about Gray Maynard following his second round TKO loss to Ross Pearson at Fight Night 47 last weekend. It was the third straight loss to come in such fashion for the TUF 5 alum and former title challenger, who was previously blitzkrieged by Nate Diaz and TJ Grant in previous appearances, and perhaps the hardest to swallow amid concerns pertaining to his chin in recent months.

While the ceaseless career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has taught us that the UFC will rarely force a fighter they consider a “draw” into retirement, one has to imagine that Dana White will at least discuss the possibility with Maynard in the near future, right? Well at the Fight Night 47 post-fight press conference, White addressed such concerns:

He came here, he fought. He’s been cleared medically to fight. I think the kid is healthy.

But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented. We’ll see what he wants to do.

Right, because I’m sure that Gray will say anything other than “I just got caught/give me another shot/I had a bad camp.” Have we not yet learned that a fighter’s willingness and his abilities are two different entities? DO NONE OF US EVEN *REMEMBER* BIG NOG VS. NELSON?!!!


(Hey Ross, why do you gotta be so, like, aggressive? Just take a hit of this and chillllllllll. Photo via Getty.)

Given what we recently found out about Krzysztof Soszynski’s struggles with memory loss following his 39-fight career, it’s almost inevitable that we’d be asking the same questions about Gray Maynard following his second round TKO loss to Ross Pearson at Fight Night 47 last weekend. It was the third straight loss to come in such fashion for the TUF 5 alum and former title challenger, who was previously blitzkrieged by Nate Diaz and TJ Grant in previous appearances, and perhaps the hardest to swallow amid concerns pertaining to his chin in recent months.

While the ceaseless career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has taught us that the UFC will rarely force a fighter they consider a “draw” into retirement, one has to imagine that Dana White will at least discuss the possibility with Maynard in the near future, right? Well at the Fight Night 47 post-fight press conference, White addressed such concerns:

He came here, he fought. He’s been cleared medically to fight. I think the kid is healthy.

But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented. We’ll see what he wants to do.

Right, because I’m sure that Gray will say anything other than “I just got caught/give me another shot/I had a bad camp.” Have we not yet learned that a fighter’s willingness and his abilities are two different entities? DO NONE OF US EVEN *REMEMBER* BIG NOG VS. NELSON?!!!

And no, Dana, Gray Maynard is not “a young kid.” He is a 35 year old, grown-ass man. In terms of MMA years, he’s actually toward the elder side of the pack. Vitor Belfort is only 37 years old and needs a constant flow of synthetic testosterone just to keep from shrinking into the void where his muscles used to be. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is only 38 years old, but has fought like a mummy on stilts since at least 2012.

But Maynard passed his pre-fight medicals, right? You know who else passed their pre-fight medicals: Ross Clifton.

As Old Dad so eloquently put it, it’s not just that Gray Maynard has dropped his past 3 fights by TKO, it’s that he appears to have gone down easier and each every time. He’s got nothing left to prove and he’s about as far from title contention as humanly possibly, so why let this charade carry on? I know, the UFC should not be able to forcibly end someone’s way of earning money, especially considering that Maynard was never exactly a big enough star to call it a career tomorrow and start counting his millions. But enough is enough already, isn’t it?

My theory, however, is that Maynard’s waning skills are less attributable to his getting older than they are to the fact that Frankie Edgar is a soul sucking parasite from another planet. Just look at most of the names on his record and tell me I’m wrong.

–B.J. Penn: Beaten into retirement

–Ben Henderson: Smoked by Anthony Pettis in their rematch, actually defeated by Edgar at least once

-Gray Maynard: 1-3 since fighting Edgar

-Matt Veach: Dead. (not really, but he might as well be)

-Sean Sherk: Fought once more in the UFC, then disappeared off the face of the earth

-Hermes Franca: Dead. (not really, but hopefully)

The list goes on and on. Instead of forcing Gray into retirement, what we need to do is band together and force Edgar into some sort of contraption that allows us to harness his energy and use it for world domination. WHO’S WITH ME?!

–J. Jones

BJ Penn Talks About Retirement, Slams Nutritionist Mike Dolce

Former UFC champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn lost to Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter 19 finale one month ago today, Aug. 6, and the Hawaiian superstar promptly retired from the sport after the bout.  In a recent interview with BJPenn.com, Penn talked about his fight with Edgar, his decision to drop to featherweight for the […]

Former UFC champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn lost to Frankie Edgar at The Ultimate Fighter 19 finale one month ago today, Aug. 6, and the Hawaiian superstar promptly retired from the sport after the bout.  In a recent interview with BJPenn.com, Penn talked about his fight with Edgar, his decision to drop to featherweight for the […]

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(By the Way, Jens Pulver Retired This Weekend Too)

(Props: Karyn Bryant/MMA Heat)

When BJ Penn announced his retirement last night after getting smashed by Frankie Edgar at the TUF 19 Finale, it signaled the end of an era; yet another UFC legend from the last decade had finally accepted that he couldn’t hack it anymore. But while Penn got to make his final statement on national television to the cheers of an adoring Las Vegas crowd, one of the Prodigy’s greatest rivals made a much quieter exit from the sport.

In an interview with Karyn Bryant published yesterday, Jens Pulver — the UFC’s first-ever 155-pound champion — announced that he was officially retired. Pulver was in town for the UFC Fan Expo, working the FightMatch booth, and had this to say about his competitive status:

“I (competed at) 135 for a bit, and I hear everybody saying ‘time to retire’, this and that, and I refused to announce it or say it, but I think I’ve said it like three times today — I’m done. I mean, I’m done. And I think most people are like, ‘Well, you were done like five years ago’.”

It’s the kind of self-deprecating line that we’ve come to expect from the always humble Pulver, but there’s some sad truth to it. Pulver’s career peak came way back in 2001-2002, when he won the UFC’s inaugural “bantamweight” title with a decision win over Caol Uno at UFC 30, then defended it twice against Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn. Since then, his career has been in a long, steady decline, punctuated by just enough bright moments to keep him going.


(Props: Karyn Bryant/MMA Heat)

When BJ Penn announced his retirement last night after getting smashed by Frankie Edgar at the TUF 19 Finale, it signaled the end of an era; yet another UFC legend from the last decade had finally accepted that he couldn’t hack it anymore. But while Penn got to make his final statement on national television to the cheers of an adoring Las Vegas crowd, one of the Prodigy’s greatest rivals made a much quieter exit from the sport.

In an interview with Karyn Bryant published yesterday, Jens Pulver — the UFC’s first-ever 155-pound champion — announced that he was officially retired. Pulver was in town for the UFC Fan Expo, working the FightMatch booth, and had this to say about his competitive status:

“I (competed at) 135 for a bit, and I hear everybody saying ‘time to retire’, this and that, and I refused to announce it or say it, but I think I’ve said it like three times today — I’m done. I mean, I’m done. And I think most people are like, ‘Well, you were done like five years ago’.”

It’s the kind of self-deprecating line that we’ve come to expect from the always humble Pulver, but there’s some sad truth to it. Pulver’s career peak came way back in 2001-2002, when he won the UFC’s inaugural “bantamweight” title with a decision win over Caol Uno at UFC 30, then defended it twice against Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn. Since then, his career has been in a long, steady decline, punctuated by just enough bright moments to keep him going.

After leaving the UFC after the first Penn fight due to a contract dispute, Pulver bounced around various promotions for a while, and ran up a 2-2 record competing in PRIDE. He returned to the UFC in 2006, where he suffered a shocking knockout loss against an unheralded youngster named Joe Lauzon, and was choked out by BJ Penn in their rematch at the TUF 5 Finale.

Pulver dropped to 145 pounds to join the WEC’s featherweight division in 2007, and submitted Cub Swanson in just 35 seconds during his promotional debut. It seemed that a change in weight class was the perfect remedy to rescue Pulver’s career. Unfortunately, Lil’ Evil would go on to lose his next five fights in the promotion, taking bad beatings against the likes of Urijah Faber (twice), Leonard Garcia, and Josh Grispi.

Following his WEC stint, Pulver went nomad again, showing up in XFO, Titan FC, RFA, and ONE FC. He dropped to bantamweight, and then to flyweight, steadily alternating between wins and losses. In 2013, Pulver suffered back-to-back losses against Masakatsu Ueda (in ONE FC) and Sami Aziz (in Superior Challenge). Pulver has kept busy since his last defeat, training fighters and working a commentary gig for Cage Warriors — but he hasn’t competed since last November, and doesn’t plan on strapping on the gloves again.

As Neil Young sang, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” In MMA terms, I guess that means it’s better to retire after a high-profile ass kicking on cable TV (like Penn) than sort of float around the fringes of the sport for a while and reveal your retirement on a YouTube video eight months after your last loss, when most fans have already stopped wondering when your next fight will be (like Pulver).

The end of the road is never a fun place to be. Then again, look at Pulver’s smile while he talks to Bryant — the smile that’s always been his greatest physical trademark. Jens Pulver is in a good place. He’s got things to look forward to. He’s comfortable with the fact that his time is up, and can even say those words out loud now. It was never an easy journey for him, but he survived it. You’d be smiling too.

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson Hints at Retirement on Instagram

Former UFC light heavyweight champ and current Bellator fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is hinting at retirement. The news comes hot on the heels of Bellator‘s announcement that Viacom and founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney are parting ways. Jackson took to Instagram to reflect on his time with the long-defunct Pride FC, and possibly send a […]

Former UFC light heavyweight champ and current Bellator fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is hinting at retirement. The news comes hot on the heels of Bellator‘s announcement that Viacom and founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney are parting ways. Jackson took to Instagram to reflect on his time with the long-defunct Pride FC, and possibly send a […]

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