Ian
Heinisch initially planned to take a temporary hiatus from
mixed martial arts, but that break has turned into a full-fledged
retirement for the benefit of his overall well-being.
Advertisement
The seven-time Octagon veteran hasn’t fought since July 2021, when
he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Nassourdine
Imavov at UFC on ESPN 27. Citing numerous health issues —
including head trauma and concussions — Heinisch announced in 2023 that he was stepping away
from the sport. At the time, he insisted that he was “not
quitting.” As it turns out, brain injuries would ultimately send
Heinisch into an early retirement — but it’s a decision he doesn’t
regret.
“Man, I hid it for probably a year-and-a-half. When I was supposed
to fight Sam Alvey, I
had to pull out of that fight. I couldn’t hide it anymore,”
Heinisch recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I couldn’t go to the gym. I
didn’t feel like myself. I had headaches all the time. I had
confusion. One time, I was driving in my car and I forgot where I
was at. That was when I was like, ‘OK, my only priority right now
is to feel normal again.’ Luckily, through stem cells and CPI and
all these different treatments and just time, not getting hit, I’m
feeling good. I’m still training, not doing anything contact. But I
love this sport, man. It chose me, and now it’s been taken from me.
It sucks, but my heart is still here for the people and I love my
journey.”
The aforementioned booking against Alvey was scheduled for February
2022. While fighting had been priority No. 1 for quite some time,
Heinisch is glad he decided to listen to his body, and he urges
others in a similar position to do the same.
“At one point, I didn’t care if I fought again,” Heinisch said. “I
didn’t care about anything except to feel normal again. It was to
that point. If you’re struggling with that, man, I’m telling you,
rest your brain. It can heal, but you’ve got to let it rest. It was
tough. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I’ve been
training MMA, eating, sleeping, and breathing this sport for the
past decade. I changed my life. I was rock bottom in a foreign
prison cell and I got to the top 10. I felt like I was close to
making a title run, but God has different plans. I’m blessed in
this journey. God is using me for where I’m at now.”
Now 36 years old, Heinish went 3-4 during his
UFC tenure after earning a contract on
Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2018, earning victories
over the likes of Cezar
Ferreira, Antonio
Carlos Jr. and Gerald
Meerschaert. “The Hurricane” compiled a 14-5 record over the
course of his professional career and was also a
Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion.