At 35, Ryan LaFlare announces retirement from MMA

R. La Flare was a UFC athlete for five years. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFCBrasil

After 10 years as a professional in mixed martial arts, Ryan LaFlare revealed that he is “hanging up his gloves”. Through his Instagram, the fighter confessed that his fight against Tony Martin at UFC 229 on Saturday (06) in Las Vegas (USA) was probably the last of his career.

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In the post, La Flare explained that his decision was made after not feeling like he was physically and mentally present inside the Octagon. Furthermore, the injuries that have been recurring throughout his career are currently taking an even greater toll on his body.

“Saturday night didn’t go my way. This is a cutthroat sport, you either win or lose. You have to be “all in” ('all in', a poker expression) to be successful. Mentally I wanted to be there, but I was plagued with injuries in camp as well as my entire career and I tried to face them by keeping a positive attitude, but when I started to make my final weight cut I fell apart. I always told myself that the second I wasn't there physically and mentally, I would hang up my gloves. I'm too proud and passionate about this sport to not give away everything I have. My body is really starting to pay the price. After over 10 years as a mixed martial arts professional and over five years with the UFC, it hurts to say this, but Saturday, October 6th was probably the last fight of my professional career,” LaFlare posted.

In 10 years, La Flare had 17 fights, 14 wins and three losses. The American debuted in the UFC in April 2013 with a triumph over Ben Alloway.

 

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Saturday night didn't go my way. This is a very unforgiving sport. You either win or lose. You have to be “ALL IN” to be successful. Mentally I wanted to be there but I have been plagued with injuries this camp as well as my entire career and tried to fight through them and keep a positive attitude but as I started making my final weight cut I started breaking down. I've always told myself the second I'm not there mentally and physically I will be hanging my gloves up. I'm too proud and passionate about this sport to not give it everything I have and my body is really starting to pay the toll. After 10+ years as a professional mixed martial artist and 5+ years with the @Ufc it hurts to say this but Saturday October 6th was most likely the last fight of my professional career. I want to thank the @ufc for allowing me to do what I love and giving me the opportunity to travel around the world and showcase my skills. Thank you to my coaches @keith_trimble @greggdepasquale @henrihooft @kycerm @roblistrength @docmcamp @dr.amato_pt for putting in the extra time for me. This isn't a very lucrative sport for coaches so I know all of their team wasn't for financial reasons. Thank you to my manager @aliabdelaziz000 And @dominancemma_ for always looking out for me and having my best interest at mind. Thank you to all my friends, family and fans who have supported me over the years. You truly are my biggest motivation. Thank you to my parents George and @trishlaflare For molding me into the man I have become. Most importantly thank you to my wife @daniellelaflare and my children, they have to deal with all of the behind the scenes BS that no one gets to see and are always supportive no matter the outcome. I've made lifelong friends over the years and nothing can change that. You guys will be a part of me for the rest of my life. 🙌🙏 #teamlaflare #ryanlaflare

A publication shared by Ryan laflare (@laflaremma) on 10 from Oct, 2018 at 10: 12 PDT