16-year MMA veteran Gilbert Yvel has retired from mixed martial arts at the age of 37. The Dutch striker announced his decision during an interview with GnP-TV.
“I’m pretty much done,” explained Yvel. “I’ve been fighting for the last 16 years… I’m here to teach other people. I don’t want to punch people anymore, I’ve been fighting 16 years — that’s a long time. I’ve had a good run. This is it.”
A UFC, Pride and K-1 veteran, with a career dating back to 1997, ‘The Hurricane’ has faced a host of MMA greats throughout multiple generations, ending on a final career record of 38-16-1(1).
During 2010, in the UFC’s heavyweight division, the long time veteran suffered a string of losses to youthful opposition Junior dos Santos, Ben Rothwell, and John Madsen. Yvel’s release from the UFC prompted a move down to ligh-heavyweight for the first time, where he appeared to have reinvented himself at 205lbs, knocking out Damian Dantibo and Houston Alexander in his final two bouts.
Brought to you by Jorden Curran. Follow Jorden on Twitter @onejcurran
Follow MMA Plus on Twtter @MMAPLUS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mmaplusuk
