Long-time lightweight, and featherweight veteran, Nik Lentz announced his retirement after his loss at UFC 257.
The fight was grueling but exciting, and Lentz gave a good showing against, the young undefeated Russian, Movsar Evloev. Seeing as the fight ended in a split decision, no doubt many thought the bout could have gone the other way. At times, certainly, it looked like “The Carny” could pull it off with one of his signature guillotine chokes. While the retirement wasn’t foreseen, after the fight Lentz shared with social media as to why he was setting the gloves down.
Nik Lentz retires after a storied career
After a tortuous fight, Lentz would lose the split decision. However, on Sunday, a day after his battle with Evloev, Lentz wrote to his supporters on social media, saying,
“They say don’t make rash decisions after a loss, but this one is not rash or even quick for that matter,” Lentz wrote. “The injury I suffered to my eyes last year was a career-ender. In total, I lost about 40% of my vision, but I wanted to see what one more hard-fought battle was like with the new eyes. It was clear to me last night that it’s impossible for me to compete at this level anymore. I just can’t lock on to a moving target like I should, and with 40% of my vision practically gone… it’s chaotic to the least”
The UFC featherweight indicates his eyes are wearing down pretty dramatically. In the end, Lentz leaves behind an incredible resume. For instance, his win against Gray Maynard at UFC 229 was spectacular, and highlights live on forever. Surely, “The Carnie” will be etched in UFC history, after all, that’s been his home since 2009.
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