When a Prospect Retires too Early.

[burningspear]

Last year after losing a fight vs Thiago Alves, a fight he was dominating up until he wasn't, Jordan Mein retired. He was 25.
Having watched him for a while, I always had him pinned as a future WW champion.
Was he simply disillusioned or is there more to it, anyone know?
And any other guys you think hung 'em up before their time?

 

[james31]

Chuck Liddell.

 

[Haj01]

Chuck Liddell.

Wanderlai Silva

 

[james31]

Hendo.......Wait he s fighting for the strap

 

[Grijswaarde]

Hendo.

Edit: oh wait he still fights

 

[Grijswaarde]

Hendo.......Wait he s fighting for the strap

Goddamn... not only same idea... same execution. Wow lol.

 

[Striderx5]

Genki Sudo... Was More interested in music, but good on him.

 

[burningspear]

Oh! A bunch of funny cunts.!!!

 

[Led]

TJ Grant hasn't officially retired but damn, he was forced to step away right before getting a title shot and hasn't been back since. It's fair to say he is retired from MMA in every sense of the word.

 

[burningspear]

Genki Sudo... Was More interested in music, but good on him.

Yep, loved watching that guy.

 

[Weidman]

Cro Cop

 

[Moezao]

Brendan Schaub...

He retired too early from football, should have stayed there so we'd be rid of him.

 

[MadVibez]

Ricardo Arona... He could've been one of the greats

 

[WhitebeltXL]

Honestly I think Matt Brown took his soul. That TKO was brutal.

 

[AndrewGolota48]

I miss Jordan Mein, he was great to watch, super effective striker who would dominate then find a way to lose, almost like a young Overeem. He had serious potential.

 

[cheat toes]

conor..


o wait he was just blowing smoke up danas wazoooo

 

[Spycho]

Was a big fan of Mein as well. He lost that Alves fight due to pure stupidity on his part. This is what he said about retiring:

"I’m super happy with the way my career went and everything I’ve done in the sport, so I don’t really have that feeling of 'I can’t retire because I haven’t done anything in my career and I don’t feel satisfied,'" Mein told UFC.com. "I do feel satisfied, and I’m happy with myself. I’m not coming to the gym saying 'I made the wrong decision.' I’m feeling good about the choices I made in my career. I think it would be different if I didn’t feel that way and if it was a forced situation. I really got into teaching," Mein said. "I love martial arts, it’s just the competition side of it, staying at that high intensity and high level, and I’m going to a different aspect of life. I just don’t want to compete anymore at the highest level. I still love to compete in the gym, and I’m more into wanting to teach and maybe even going a different route and getting away from martial arts and doing something else. I don’t know yet."

Frankie Perez and Jimmy Hettes come to mind as well.

 

[bjdiaz]

I know he wasn't a prospect and he was in his 30s but I would've loved to have seen what Rulon Gardner could've done in PRIDE

 

[Noko]

Is the Chuck comment a joke?

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

Ronda