Soa Palelei retires from MMA

[Wild]

A popular UFC heavyweight is calling it quits.

Soa Palelei, who gained notoriety for his charisma and philanthropy over the last two years, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts Monday, according to a statement he released via Twitter. He was not cut by the UFC, his manager Audie Attar told MMA Fighting, despite reports.

I want to take an opportunity to officially announce my retirement from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Thank you to the UFC, Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Joe Silva for giving me a second chance to fight for the organization. I've had a great time, but feel it's time to focus on my family and other career interests. After several months of thought and discussion with my family and my team, we realize our future includes many things in MMA, but active competition in the sport is no longer one of them. This isn't goodbye, as I will still be very much involved in the sport but just not as a fighter. I want to help further MMA around the world and give my contribution to the sport. I know that I have, and will continue to contribute much to the growth of our sport outside of the Octagon. Stay tuned guys as there is still so much more to come from "The Hulk" #‎WatchThisSpace #‎MuchLove

LINK: UFC heavyweight Soa Palelei to retire from mixed martial arts - MMA Fighting

 

[SongExotic2]

Dude had some great wins and infuriating losses. All the best to him in his next chapter

 

[Left Hook Larry]

Always liked watching him fight. He could rain down some bungalows if he got you down.

 

[OhWhopDaChamp]

The Men In Black and native dance walkouts were cool.

 

[sparkuri]

A lotta retirements.
I really hope these guys can find a niche and success.
We're still in the dark ages for fighters.
Thanks Soa!

 

[Wild]

A lotta retirements.

Wonder whats up with that?

 

[SongExotic2]

Wonder whats up with that?

They are all Cindy - O

 

[sparkuri]

Wonder whats up with that?

Imo, it's just that the practicality of it is evident.
I think we're gonna see this more often as the reality sets in that the paychecks, whenever they come, are not only few and far between, but not worth it in the longrun.
Unless it's at the highest level, a common tradesman's salary demands less and pays more.
My two.

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Wonder whats up with that?

Casualties of that awful Reebok deal.

 

[Ryoji Kitomi]

Best of Luck to Mr. Palelei. Guys a warrior, hope he finds what he is looking for and has success. Hes earned it

 

[Left hand cemetery]

I wonder if the recent snub by a hospital in Queensland (I think) for charity had anything to do with his decision, pretty sure he was a little saddened by that.

He had some entertaining fights and I wish him all the best.

 

[delightone]

Casualties of that awful Reebok deal.

i think so too, in the past you could take the shitty ufc pay, with what the sponsors were paying you, now that this was made impossible by the reebok deal, it's not gonna be worth it for alot of fighters.

 

[Zeph]

22k to show and 5k to win probably had a large impact on his decision.

 

[CaffeineBomb]

He was also one of the hardest workers when it came to getting sponsor afaik. Pretty sure he did an interview a while ago about how much he hustled to make sure he had plenty of good paying sponsors in more areas than most fighters. Things like watches & custom jewellery etc. I imagine the Reebok deal was a huge impact on his earnings.

 

[member 603]

i think so too, in the past you could take the shitty ufc pay, with what the sponsors were paying you, now that this was made impossible by the reebok deal, it's not gonna be worth it for alot of fighters.

I'm thinking this too... The UFC still cuts these guys if they're still under contract but have retired (I've seen them do this in the past), I wonder if this is a way for some of these guys to get out of their contracts and go to Bellator where they can earn more sponsorship dollars.

I know it sounds crazy because none of these guys are top 10-15 fighters (and the UFC would probably flat out cut them), but I couldn't imagine the UFC allowing guys to go fatten the fighter stable of another organization.... So they pull the retirement card and sit out a few months before going elsewhere....... Just an idea I'm thinking.

 

[SAJ]

The Men In Black and native dance walkouts were cool.

Wasn't that Te Huna?

 

[Wild]

I wonder if the recent snub by a hospital in Queensland (I think) for charity had anything to do with his decision, pretty sure he was a little saddened by that.

He had some entertaining fights and I wish him all the best.

Possible. From that I have read, Soa really enjoys doing Philanthropy work and if his fighting career is creating issues with that, he may have concluded its just time to go.

 

[OhWhopDaChamp]

Wasn't that Te Huna?

was it? was some big brown guy with a wide nose.

 

[Narcosynthesis]

He's been fighting since 2002. That's a long time. I'm sure he's thought this through and already has plans for what he wants to do after fighting. Good luck to him. I enjoyed his fights.

 

[Bluesville]

Wasn't that Te Huna?

yep.

 

[SAJ]

was it? was some big brown guy with a wide nose.

Whats up with that creepy avatar tho

 

[dacofty]

A lotta retirements.
I really hope these guys can find a niche and success.
We're still in the dark ages for fighters.
Thanks Soa!

well it was stated with the USADA and IV bans coming you would see alot of injuries and retirements... i think more will follow

 

[Left hand cemetery]

Possible. From that I have read, Soa really enjoys doing Philanthropy work and if his fighting career is creating issues with that, he may have concluded its just time to go.

True, he may think there's more room for growth in his other interests than his mma career. Either way he seems to have his heart in the right place so I wish him well.