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Former UFC fighter Jessica-Rose Clark has decided to step away from the world of professional MMA.
The former MMA fighter says she decided to end her career because she just wasn’t enjoying fighting anymore.
“It just didn’t fulfill me anymore the way it used to, it didn’t excite me anymore the way that it used to,” Clark explained on The MMA Hour. “There were bits and pieces that I really love, I love being in front of everyone, I love being an entertainer, I love being in the crowd, I love hearing people cheer my name, like all of that aspect. But the actual sport of MMA, I just didn’t love it anymore.
“Every day I would go to wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and I would walk away just so beat up, and it it just felt like it wasn’t worth it anymore. I won my next fight after that, [and] I hated that fight. It was terrible, all I did was wrestle. I hated it, but whatever, we got a paycheck, and then losing to Stephanie like kind of lit that fire, that little bit of arrogance, that ego where I’m like, ‘I need to get it back.’
“And then when I fought Julia, and had my arm dislocated, I retired in the cage after that. I was like, ‘No, I’m done.’ I had said if I get another bad injury, that’s it. That’s it for me. I don’t wanna do this anymore, and then came back from that, and I still had one fight left on my deal, and my intention was always to – whether I won or lost – that last fight on my contract, it was gonna be to walk away and try my hand at something else. I wanted to do pro boxing, I wanted to fight [in kickboxing], and I’m also 36 this year. So I also knew that if I signed another contract and my career kept going the way it did, which was one fight a year because I kept getting injured, then that was probably gonna be the end of my career,
“My career was going to die in the UFC, and it was never a bad place to be,” Clark continued. “I just didn’t love the sport anymore, and I wanted to try other things before it was too late, and it sucks not getting kind of the same paycheck that I was getting there, but the love that I’ve received since leaving has been way more than I was expecting.”
Clark was going to compete this coming weekend at Lion Fight 75, but her opponent was forced to withdraw from the fight due to medical issues. Clark retires with a record of 11-9-0, which includes notable wins over Arlene Blencowe, Janay Harding, Bec Rawlings, Paige VanZant and Joselyne Edwards.
