Time to Hang it Up?

In every sport around the world there are times when a superstar will sit in his locker, look down at his hands and ask “is it time”. Sometimes they resist the urge to throw in the towel and move on to coaching or sports casting. For others they can’t resist the feeling to try to get back on top. They want that feeling back, they want their hand raised, or they want that one last chance at a championship ring. Not everyone can be like Brett Favre, come back and make an exceptional run to the playoffs. For every Brett Favre or Junior Seau there hundreds of Michael Jordan’s that seem to hang on for too long.

In the world of MMA there are three guys that jump out and seem to be at this cross road; Matt Hughes, Evan tanner, and Jeremy Horn. All three of these guys have been amazing fighters and were considered to be some of the best of their time. They are all exciting fighters (or were in their prime). They are big names that have been the main events. They have worn belts of gold signifying that they are the best in their organization. They have signed thousands of autographs, but is it time to close that chapter in their life? In this article I am going to attempt to answer that question from the outside looking in for these three superstars. I am going to do this by looking at their previous five fights, the road to a title, and what is next on their horizon.

Evan Tanner

Evan Tanner seems to be the type of guy that everyone likes. In his last fight against Kendall grove he seemed to be a fan favorite. Many love his blog (now on Spike) just as much as his grizzly like beard. Tanner is 32-8 in his career. In his last 5 fights he has fought Kendall Grove, Yushin Okami, Justin Levens, David, Loiseau, and Rich Franklin. In these fights he is 1-4 only beating Levens, and going the distance in only 1 of the 4 losses. 1-4 in the UFC is now grounds for dismissal. Many were saying prior to the Grove fight that the loser will be cut. I am not saying that Tanner should be cut from his UFC contract, but I am saying that it may be time to walk away. It also seems that he may have to do this whether he wants to or not. Reports are surfacing that he has serious health problems and he has said “If we can’t get this health issue figured out, I’m done, I’m retiring”. Tanner has a new blog on Spike and can make writing a second profession if he desires. Health is more important and if you have a way to keep your family fed, it may just be time to step away while you can.

Jeremy Horn

Jeremy Horn is a legend of the sport. He has fought in over 100 pro fights. He is one of the guys that have been in this sport since the days that it began. He has fought more than once on fight cards and has done tons for the sport. In his last 5 fights just like Tanner he is 1-4. He has fought Dean Lister, Nathan Marquardt, Jorge Santiago, Falaniko Vitale, and Matt Lindland being victorious only against Vitale. Three of those losses were due to submission and one to TKO. Gumby has been around forever in this sport. It seems that he has done well evolving with it but it may be time to call it a day for him as well. He is going to make a good coach somewhere. One thing that can’t be taught is experience, and that is one thing that he has a lot of!
Matt Hughes

I know that in journalism you are not supposed to show favoritism toward a team or in this case a fighter. Too bad! I am a Matt Hughes fan. He is the most dominating 170 pounder of all time. How can you not root for that? His country corn fed style has led him to a hall of fame career. At time he has seemed a little arrogant, but then again he does fight in cages… In his previous 5 fights he has fought against Thiago Alves, George St. Pierre X2, Chris Lytle, and B.J. Penn. In these fights he is 2-3 beating Penn and Lytle. In his losses he has looked far from impressive. In his last fight he was the smaller of the two (Alves failed to make weight) on the scales and in terms of the fight. Hughes has been on the fence for sometime now. When he was coaching on TUF he said that he only had a few fights left. He has mentioned in post fight interviews that he has to reevaluate things… As much as I want to see him continue to dominate in the cage, I am not sure it can be done any more. Hughes’ strong wrestling, and solid ground game isn’t causing as many problems any more, which leads me to say it is time for him to step down as well. Mark my words, matt Hughes is going to make just as good of a coach if not better than he is a fighter. He has started his own HIT Squad and training gym and has already started his life outside of the cage. It may now be time to become that full time coach that is pulling at him in the back of his mind…

Although I stated that all three of these guys should retire, I do not feel that they need to. Life is hard and it is rare to find something that you love. If you have a job that makes you smile when you get to work then you should stick with it. If you love to fight and can get a job, then you should keep fighting!