Ian Entwistle has announced his retirement from MMA, just hours after being pulled from UFC Fight Night 107.
Entwistle (9-3) was set to fight on the UFC London card tonight against Wales’ Brett Johns (13-0), but was pulled from the card on doctors orders. He had previously weighed in to the Bantamweight contest at 139lbs, and though the fight was set to go ahead at catchweight, Entwistle was deemed unable to fight.
Accrington’s Entwistle has since taken to Facebook to announce his retirement. He said:
“Won’t cut weight again, given myself some health problems which I need to fix before I can move on with my life. Believe me, we don’t understand the risks.
“This is my retirement.”
This isn’t the first time that Entwistle has been forced out of a fight due to weight issues. Prior to this fight, he was set to face Rob Font at UFC 204 in Manchester. However, this fight was too cancelled on the day of weigh-ins, as Entwistle again fell ill.
Even prior to his run in the UFC, during which he went 1-2, Entwistle pulled out of a fight at Lightweight against another Welsh fighter in Lewis Long. Again, this was due to weight related issues. Given that he has faced problems at Lightweight and Bantamweight, it is likely that the problem lies deeper than the weight at which he chooses to fight.
At only 30 years of age, Entwistle shouldn’t be suffering from such problems, and if walking away from the sport is the price he must pay for his health, then this is unquestionably the best move.
