Brad Riddell is taking a break from MMA.
Riddell suffered his third straight loss – all by stoppage – at UFC 281 when he was submitted by Renato Moicano in the first round. It was a disappointing loss for Riddell who was coming off a first-round submission loss to Jalin Turner and before that was knocked out by Rafael Fiziev.
What Did Brad Riddell Say?
Now, following the three losses in a row, Riddell took to Instagram to reveal he would be taking a break from fighting until he gets the fire back to compete. He also says he will take care of his health and get some surgeries.
“I appreciate everyone that has been supporting me and standing by my side from day one through these last two lackluster performances. I’m going to step away from competing in MMA for a good while until the fire to compete comes back. I’m not performing close to my capability, and it’s a dangerous job if you’re not fully present. I’ve been training hard for 15 years, in and out of camps with not enough rest or balance and it’s massively taken its physical and mental toll on me. There has not been a year since I was 17 that I have not fought.
I know this is the right choice because, as I write this, I feel a sense of relief for finally voicing what I had been feeling for a while. I wanted to have one last crack at MSG to see if the feelings from the last camp were just a one-off, but sadly they were not. It’s a hard pill to swallow, as this is what I’ve done my entire life and fighting was my first love. But sometimes you just have to face it.
There are a few overdue surgeries to be addressed as well.
I will keep training and teaching, but my energy that was all consumed by the sport will be directed at my family. The itch will come back, But a long time off is needed.
I appreciate everyone always supporting me
Quake.”
With the loss, Brad Riddell fell to 10-4 as a pro and is 4-3 in the UFC. He started out his UFC career on a four-fight winning streak with wins over Drew Dober, Jamie Mullarkey, Magomed Mustafaev, and Alex da Silva.
Do you think Brad Riddell will return to MMA?
