When Should A Fighter Retire?

When should a fighter retire? This is both a simple and complicated question. Every fighter and every fighter’s situation is different. Here are some examples of when a fighter should retire though:

When their skills are gone

-National Football League quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning both recently said, [“I will retire when I suck”]. That’s one way to look at it. Fighting is different though. A fighter’s mentality is different from other athletes. They don’t always know when their skills have diminished. You often hear fighters talk about a bad training camp, a bad weight cut, illness, not sticking to a game plan, or “getting caught”.

When they no longer have a passion to compete

-Fighters not only train to win a bout, but to protect themselves from harm. Fighters want to succeed, but they also want to avoid pain and injury. Most fighters are life-long athletes. Since middle school or earlier they’ve been practicing and training for something. It’s all they know. As a rule, exercising is horrible, so it’s hard for athletes to know when they don’t want to compete anymore and when they just don’t want to prepare.

When, medically, they shouldn’t be fighting

-Most athletes have sustained injuries at some point and come back, so they don’t always listen to the signs their body is giving them. It’s “tough person” culture to fight through pain. They also don’t actively seek out advanced medical information. They don’t always know what is going on with their organs, heart, or brain.   

When someone won’t pay them

-Fame and fortune are addictive. Some fighters enjoy them just as much, if not more, than competing. Winning is great, but fans are better to some athletes. Also due to financial circumstances, as long as someone is willing to pay them, they have to compete. It’s their livelihood. The only career they’ve ever known is being an athlete. If one isn’t prepared for retirement, the job market can be a scary place.

So when should a fighter retire? United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “I know it when I see it”. He wasn’t talking about fighters, but his words ring true in this case as well.