![cathal pendred]()
Ireland's
Cathal Pendred shocked the world last week when he announced he was retiring from
MMA at just 28 years of age. Speaking on the
MMA Hour, the former
UFC welterweight explained, his heart just wasn't in it any more.
Cathal Pendred was one of Ireland's most successful fighters in minor promotions in and around the British Isles. After amassing an impressive record of 13-2-1, he finally hit the big time when he was invited to TUF 19: Edgar Vs Penn. After winning his preliminary bout, he was unfortunate to be eliminated in a split decision loss in the semi-final. However, Dana White liked what he saw, and he soon found himself inside The Octagon on a professional basis, winning his first four consecutive bouts.
It seemed that all was well, and that a life-time of hard work was finally bearing fruit. Losing to veteran John Howard via split decision seemed a mere bump in the road for a man of Pendred's age. However, in his recent bout on home turf against Tom Breese, for the very first time, he looked comfortably out-gunned. The Englishman looked quicker, nastier and- most worryingly- hungrier.
Many passed this off as a consequence of accepting a gruelling four fights against tough opposition in a short space of time. However, after his retirement, he confessed in conversation with Ariel Helwani, his love for competition just isn't what it once was:
"I'd just been thinking about it for a while and like I said, when I announced it, I just felt like the fire in my belly had kind of dwindled a little bit. I always talked about how I felt very fortunate that I was pursuing a passion and didn't feel like I worked. It started to feel like it'd become a job and I was turning up at the gym not because I wanted, but because I had to and I had to get paid at the end of the day.
"I have other passions that are kind of coming to the forefront now. I just decided you can't half be in MMA. You're only going to get yourself hurt when you're half-heartedly fighting or just turning up for a pay-cheque. I decided it was time to pursue other ventures and move on."
Pendred ended his career with a creditable record of 17-4-1 and, at just 28, he still has plenty of time to stage a comeback should he recover his passion for the sport. WHOATV fans can watch the full interview here:
