Former UFC mainstay James Vick abruptly announced his retirement on social media this Thursday, February 4, following serious injuries he sustained in his last fight at Xtreme MMA against Andre Fialho.
Vick (13-6) gave credit to Fialho (14-4) for a “perfectly placed shot” that broke his jaw and led to a second-round stoppage in the card’s main event – his first fight outside UFC since being released in 2019.
“One of the last punches he landed, I knew something was seriously wrong. I’m glad the ref stepped in because Lord knows I would have been too tough and dumb to do that,” Vick said in a lengthy Instagram post.
“My orbital is broken on my right side. The fracture went all the way through to the other side causing a bilateral break, plus my jaw is completely displaced, so tomorrow they are finally doing surgery to fix it,” he added.
The gruesome end he suffered at the hands of Fialho was the rotten cherry on top of a career-ending five-fight losing streak he started back in 2018. Prior to that slump, he won his first 9 fights and was undefeated for 5 years from 2011 to 2016.
“I went out on my shield like I always have, like a warrior,” the 33-year-old said in his Instagram post. “I am very sorry to everyone who helped and believed in me so much this last year.”
“The truth is I haven’t felt that passion or love for fighting the way I used to in a long time. But I have always been disciplined and trained hard no matter what,” he continued.
Although his doctor said he could still fight after this recent injury and setback, Vick decided it was really time to hang up his gloves for good.
“I can’t keep putting my family through this,” he said. “Thank you to anyone who has been there to support me, teach me, or cheer me on along the way. I have made lifelong relationships in this martial arts journey that I will always be so grateful for.” – Rappler.com
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