Ian Freeman - jedyny jak narazie pogromca byłego mistrza UFC wagi ciężkiej Franka Mir'a oficjalnie potwierdził, że kończy karierę. Wg. mnie jest to raczej zawodnik klasy "B", który osiągnął w swojej profesjonalnej karierze fightera kilka sukcesów (pokonanie Mir'a, zdobycie mistrzostwa w jednym z najbardziej prestiżowych turniejów w Anglii - CAGE RAGE), miał także słabsze występy (przegrana przez K.O. w niecałe 2 minuty z Andreiem Arlovskim). Teraz oficjalnie kończy karierę, więc może byśmy trochę "podyskutowali" na jego temat ? Bo chyba na to chociaż zasłużył...
Forrest Griffin vs. Ian Freeman is officially off. Talking with Ian Freeman, he himself said, "Looks like I'm out of the fight. I am sorry, but it looks like I will be unfit to fight in the UFC."
As we reported on MMAWeekly.com, Freeman's withdrawal from the fight is due to a recurring injury. According to Freeman, "During training for my Cage Rage world title last time out, I damaged the cartilage in my chest/rib cage. I thought it was fine until I was show jumping and fell from my horse as I landed from a jump. I fell on my side and I felt a sharp pain and tear in my chest area. It looks like it is the same injury [keeping him out of UFC 55] I had from my Cage Rage fight." He continued, "I cannot put any weight or pressure on my chest and I even have difficulty sleeping at night as I am lying down and that is when the injury is at it worst."
Obviously, with such pain, even in a prone position, that fighting is out of the question. It appears that the UFC will enlist Elvis Sinosic - who was already believed to be on the card - to fight Griffin in Freeman's place.
We also mentioned that Freeman is considering retirement. Well, it isn't really a consideration any more. It is now official. Freeman is done, "I have had a good think about my fight career and realize I cannot continue to put fights in jeopardy like this, so I am officially retired from fighting as of today." But he's not going to go away quietly, "I will however try to promote the sport from other ventures in my life. I have a movie to finish and TV presenting also, but rest assured, I will promote our sport in every way I can."
It's never easy to transition from one phase of life to another, but Freeman seems to be taking it in stride, "My fight career was a seven year span from the age of 31 to 38 and I have enjoyed the short, but very hard journey."
Always a humble proponent of the sport, Freeman closed by saying, "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has supported me throughout my career."
Surely, there are many Ian Freeman fans out there that are saddened at his departure, but saying thanks to "The Machine" for providing us with the years that he did.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm...id=577&zoneid=2
*I'm still standing and I'm still waiting for a title fight. Fedor Emelianenko you are next !!!* - MIRKO CROCOP