Javier Vazquez Calls it a Career at Age 35

Fans of WEC no doubt remember Javier Vazquez, an exciting featherweight who picked up wins over Mackens Semerzier and Jens Pulver before coming over to the UFC where he beat Joe Stevenson. However, Vazquez hasn’t been seen since, and now the world knows why.

Vazquez recently revealed he decided to hang his gloves up and focus on life after MMA, telling Sherdog Radio he lacks the necessary drive to keep competing at a high level even though he still has fights left on his UFC deal.

“I don’t see a need nor a want to fight anymore. I feel like whether you like me or you hate me, people respect me. I do have fights left on my contract, but I just don’t want to do it. I didn’t want to be that guy that everyone is begging to retire. I did everything in my career on my terms.”

“When I got back to the locker room after the Stevenson fight, I just knew I had nothing left. I had nothing left to prove. I knew my knee and my body had definitely had enough. I didn’t want to do it. I just didn’t want to do it anymore. The fear of stepping into the cage is just the fear I didn’t want to experience anymore.

“I felt that technically it was the best I had ever been, mentally the best I’d ever been. Physically I’d had better days, but I was making it work. I’d modified my game and made adjustments in my style so that the injuries were almost hidden. I just don’t want to fight anymore. I (wanted) to officially announce my retirement. I knew, I just didn’t know how to say it and when to say it. I had nothing left to give anymore. I had nothing physically left to give.”

SOURCE: Sherdog
PHOTO CREDIT: UFC