Ricardo Almeida announced through his Facebook account that after his loss at UFC 128, he was ready to hang up the gloves.
During these almost four years it has been a personal struggle to find balance between my fighting career, caring for my son who was diagnosed with autism soon after I signed a six-fight deal with the UFC, teaching at my growing Jiu Jitsu Academy and the family duties we all have. MMA is a great sport but also physically and mentally unforgiving. It is a dangerous task to step in the octagon, specially if your focus is not at 100%.
After much deliberation since my fight at UFC 128 I have decided to step away from the sport as a fighter.
Known as a BJJ ace, Almeida put together a 13-5 record in MMA. He started fighting in 2000, but took a break from MMA in the middle of the decade and returned in 2008.
What's impressive about Almeida's retirement is that he did it. This isn't an easy thing for fighters to do, especially those going out on a loss. Almeida is setting an example for other fighters, saying, "Look. This isn't easy. We need to realize that." For that measure of grace, Almeida deserves a ton of respect.
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