As a sports fan I do not participate in the debates that surround a player’s potential retirement from his or her sport. We sat through the numerous “He’s done” arguments that surrounded superstars such as Brett Favre and Michael Jordan during the final phases of their careers. This past weekend during Bellator 59 we saw the retirement of Kurt Pellegrino from the world of mixed martial arts. The way it went down is a harsh reminder that while it may be hard to walk away from the sport, it’s still important that fighters do it while they can walk.
Fifty seconds was all Patricky “Pitbull” Freire needed to dispose of Pellegrino. Before his loss to George Sotiropoulos in August of 2010, Pellegrino was making his way towards a UFC lightweight title shot. That defeat was followed by a controversial split decision loss to Gleison Tibau in March 2011, and the first retirement for Pellegrino. Yet before the year is even out, he attempts a “comeback” of sorts, just to fall short in his first effort. With this defeat, the consensus is that he will once again walk away from the sport.
Is it time for him to go? That’s not the concern of this piece. Instead I commend Pellegrino for walking away when he was able to do so. Pellegrino wasn’t as successful as Chris Lytle, who retired earlier this year with a submission victory over Dan Hardy. However, I believe that if Lytle wanted to continue fighting he would be able to find an organization who wanted to bring him on. Even Jens Pulver, who was in a detestable situation with six losses in a row, was able to find someone willing to pay him to fight. 2011 has been better to Pulver, who has gone 3-1 this year, but I still wonder about the long term damage he suffers as he continues fighting.
Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, and many others line the list of examples of fighters who continued to compete when their bodies were no longer able to perform at a high level. What’s even more terrifying is when fighters continue to battle when their hearts are not in the sport. That is even more dangerous. Recently we were forced to watch as both Liddell and Coleman looked like shells of their former selves, while their bodies were ravaged from careers of taking damage. Even still, their retirements were almost forced upon them when the UFC cut Coleman, and convinced Liddell to take an internal position within Zuffa.
Whether they win or lose, more athletes should walk away from the sport under their own power. MMA hasn’t been around long enough to see what the long-term effects of participation are on its fighters. Hopefully more fighters are willing to step away under the best conditions, rather than continue fighting with hopes to add to their legacies.
