#MMARetirements is a meme-worthy hashtag that’s long been part of the sport. The term resurfaces several times a year, usually not for a good reason.
Unlike most other sports, combat sports – specifically MMA – has a long history of its athletes returning to competition months, even years after an initial decision to retire, a trend that seemingly will remain as a permanent fixture. It’s tough to understand the mindset of a fighter, and certainly there are a wide range of reasons responsible for MMA comebacks.
Three-time UFC title challenger Kenny Florian spoke to MMA Junkie to offer some insight.
“I think it varies on the fighter,” Florian said in Spanish. “Some fighters come back because they need money, others because they want to fight again and be champions. They feel they need to compete.
“As someone who did martial arts for many years, and other sports, I knew as a competitor I wanted to return. Part of me wanted to come back, but it’s different for everyone.”
Florian believes mismanaging money contributes to many comebacks but also the idea of not living up to full potential when in your prime.
“I think it’s important for fighters to save their money, but also they need to take advantage of the career and do everything possible when they’re fighting,” Florian said. “Sometimes I feel like fighters don’t think about the future, and they’re out spending money. It’s possible, too, that they’re not giving their 100 percent when they’re fighting, and then when they retire, they want to come back to do things differently. For me, that wasn’t the case, but I get why fighters want to come back and fight again. It’s tough when you’re 38, 39, 40. It’s tough.”
Florian retired from MMA in 2011 after coming up short in a title fight against then-UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. At the time, Florian had a big name in the lower weight classes – mainly competing at lightweight and featherweight toward the end of his run – and was a staple in the UFC.
Yet, despite likely having more paydays in front of him, Florian never put the gloves back on professionally and stayed retired.
“I think there was a part of me that wanted to fight again, but I had a back injury that wouldn’t let me train like I used to. And for me, it was always very important to train hard,” Florian explained. “This sport is too difficult to just give 70 percent and go fight. It’s very dangerous. If you’re not going to do it 100 percent, I think it’s too dangerous to do it. So when I retired, I knew that I wasn’t coming back. The sport is also growing. The fighters are getting better, so for me, I knew at that moment I needed to finish.”
Florian’s back issues started in 2007. And for some fights, it would be worse than others, like when he fought Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, and Joe Lauzon.
“It would make me very frustrated,” Florian said of his back injury. “In some fights, because I wanted to do more and fight better, but it’s one of those things where everything is affected. It’s not like it’s a knee or a shoulder, and you’re able to do other things. When you have a back injury, I couldn’t do anything, and that’s why it was very difficult.”
