Brad
Riddell has lost the drive to compete on the heels of three
straight losses in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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The 31-year-old City Kickboxing representative announced in a
social media post that he plans to step away from mixed martial
arts for the time being. While it wasn’t a retirement announcement,
Riddell said that his hiatus will likely last “a good while.”
“I appreciate everyone that has been supporting me and standing by
my side from day one though to these last two lackluster
performances,” Riddell wrote. “I’m going to step away from
competing in MMA for a good while until the fire to compete comes
back. I’m not performing close to my capability, and it’s a
dangerous job if you’re not fully present. I’ve been training hard
for 15 years, in and out of camps with not enough rest or balance
and it’s massively taken its physical and mental toll on me. There
has not been a year since I was 17 that I have not fought.
“I know this is the right choice because, as I write this, I feel a
sense of relief for finally voicing what I had been feeling for a
while. I wanted to have one last crack at MSG to see if the
feelings from the last camp were just one-off, but sadly they were
not. It’s a hard pill to swallow, as this is what I’ve done my
entire life and fighting was my first love. But sometimes you just
have to face it. There are a few overdue surgeries to be addressed
as well.”
Riddell succumbed to a first-round rear-naked choke against
Renato
Carneiro at UFC 281 on Saturday night, the third straight time
he has been finished in the Octagon. “Quake” was also submitted by
Jalin
Turner at UFC 276 and suffered a knockout loss against Rafael
Fiziev at UFC on ESPN 31. The Auckland, New Zealand, native
gained recognition by winning his first four promotional
appearances, a run that was part of a seven-fight winning streak
overall.
“I will keep training and teaching, but my energy that was all
consumed by the sport will be directed at my family. The itch will
come back, But a long time off is needed,” Riddell wrote.