Manny Gamburyan has the itch again.
The UFC and WEC veteran is planning to come out of retirement for an Octagon return in mid-to-late 2019. “The Anvil” must first re-enter the USADA drug testing pool before he is cleared to compete again. Gamburyan confirmed his decision via social media following a report on the “Ariel and the Bad Guy” show on Wednesday.
Gamburyan initially announced his retirement in 2016 following a second-round technical knockout loss to Johnny Eduardo, his second straight TKO defeat in the promotion.
“This might surprise a lot of people, even my family and friends,” Gamburyan said then. “It’s been tough, this has been a long road, this is my first time being in Brazil. I had a great time, but, I think this is it for me, guys. I’m going to call it a career, probably.”
As it turns out, “probably” was the key word. “The Ultimate Fighter 5” finalist owns a 15-10 career record, including a 6-8 mark with two no contests in the UFC. He also had a brief stint in the WEC, notably losing to Jose Aldo in a featherweight title bout in 2010. Gamburyan owns wins over the likes of Scott Jorgensen, Cole Miller, Michihiro Omigawa, Mike Thomas Brown, Leonard Garcia and Jorge Santiago over the course of his professional tenure.