Welp its great to be back in Philly. Probably because I took an ass whoopin down in Brazil. lol... I had an AMAZING time down there. I got to see the country side on this trip and met some EXTREMELY special people at some places we did charity events at. Other than the ass whoopin, it was a great trip. I have looked and felt like crap my last three fights. I have not had any ambition to fight the last year. Everyone fights/competes for different reasons. Recognition, Ego Driven, Money, Release, Something to prove to themselves, etc. I have always competed because it was extremely FUN to me and because of the awesome friendships that flighting/wrestling/grappling builds. Now most all my enjoyment comes from guiding and teaching my daughter. It started right after she was born. I had planned a 2 month training camp at ATT to get ready for my UFC fight. After week 3 i flew home to Tennessee to be with my daughter.... Finished the last month of training camp hanging out with Ena. Of course that was the beginning of the end because any teammates from elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and beyond know I cant focus on training very long at all before I got bored with it and stopped coming to practice/training. Of course the other half time was me getting kicked out of practice for arguing/complaining about why we have to do all this hard s#+&. I got so many amazing memories, stories, and friendships through competing in combat sports. The coaches that had the greatest impact on my life and helped me stay outta prison as a kid and kept me on the right track (sometimes). So I just wanted to let all 22 of my fans and the 13 people that were in the stands when I fought on UFC prelims that I am QUITTING. I am not RETIRING. Retiring is what CEOs and Sargants do. I am the SECURITY GUARD.....lol... The only people that get to RETIRE are the guys that made it... I am quitting because I keep getting my ass beat HUGE difference...yea yea I seen the TRILLION motivational quotes on Facebook and instagram about persevering, working harder, overcoming, having an indomitable will, being strong, etc. I just cant cut into my reading time. I remember Ken Chertow giving this same spill at camp as a kid. I looked at my buddy Kerry Ferguson and said dude the irony of the story is that he cant walk from the knee and hip surgeries.... So we left and I finished SECOND that year and was happy with that :-)
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 08:19:50 +0000