UFC Fighter Retires During Press Conference After Loss

Felice Herrig stepped into the octagon on Saturday against Karolina Kowalkiewicz at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In her mind, it could have been her final fight as well. It was dependent on how she was feeling during the fight.

She ultimately lost to Kowalkiewicz via rear-naked choke late in the second round. After her defeat, Felice HerrigHerrig removed her gloves and left them on the canvas, making it clear she was done for good.

During the event’s post-fight press conference, Felice Herrig confirmed she was retiring. While being emotional, Herrig explained the reason for her stepping away from MMA.

“I’ve known for a while that maybe my heart wasn’t in fighting anymore,” Herrig said. “I enjoyed the training process. I enjoyed everything about it. I had the two knee surgeries, and that was not the way I was going to go out in the sport. I wasn’t going to let an injury hold me back.

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“I wanted to prove to myself, nobody else, just myself, that I could overcome two ACL surgeries and get back to being in the best shape of my life and come back and fight at the top level in the UFC. And I did that, but I also knew in the process that if I didn’t feel what I wanted to feel in the cage that I was going to retire.”

“I just realized this wasn’t for me anymore,” Herrig said. “I don’t know if I ever really loved it.”

The world of MMA is not for everyone, as a lot of sacrifices have to be made in order to succeed in it. Felice Herrig realized it was not for her, so she returned. We’ll have to see what the future holds for her next.

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