ONE OF IRELAND’S best-loved MMA fighters Neil Seery says he intends to call time on his professional career after his next fight.
It was confirmed yesterday that the vastly-experienced flyweight (16-12, 3-3 UFC) will meet Ian McCall (13-5-1, 2-3-1 UFC) at UFC Belfast on 19 November — the American’s first bout since January 2015.
Team Ryano’s Seery, a former Cage Warriors champion, made his Octagon debut against Brad Pickett in March 2014 and this latest match-up will be his seventh bout in the UFC.
It’s also set to be his last, as the Dubliner revealed that he is walking away from competitive fighting while he’s still at the top.
“I’m 37 years of age,” said Seery, speaking to Peter Carroll for Newstalk. “I’m looking at the younger lads coming through the ranks, how they’re training and adjusting, and it’s hard for me to keep up with that with a family, a full-time job and everything else I’m managing.
“(Kyoji) Horiguchi was a completely different fighter to me than he was against Demetrious Johnson. I had never felt a flyweight as strong as he was that night. That’s how much these guys are training, they can completely change their approach in just a year.
“These guys are full-time athletes. I’ve never been a full-time athlete and I’ve hung in there with those guys. But again, I’m not here to just hang in there with people just so I can say I’m in the UFC. I’m happy with what I’ve done in the sport. Now is the right time.
I’m going to get to walk away while I’m still in the UFC and not a lot of people get to do that. A lot of people get cut from the UFC and then try to put a run back together to get back in.
“I’ve made this decision. My final fight will be against a man whose style I have admired for a long time. The fact that I get to have my final fight in Belfast is just a really nice bonus.”
Read the full Newstalk interview here
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