Nik Lentz is calling an end to his 15 ½ year MMA career.
UFC 257 saw Nik Lentz compete for what appears to be the last time when he lost a split decision to Movsar Evloev on the early prelims. This would mark the third loss in a row for the 36-year-old, which has historically been the dangerous number that could potentially spell the end of a UFC career. Lentz is taking the decision out of the promotion’s hands, though, as he has decided to retire from MMA, citing a debilitating eye injury as the impetus behind the decision.
“They say don’t make rash decisions after a loss, but this one is not rash or even quick for that matter,” Lentz began in an Instagram post. “The injury I suffered to my eyes last year was a career ender. In total I lost about 40% of my vision, but I wanted to see what one more hard fought battle was like with the new eyes. It was clear to me last night that it’s impossible for me to compete at this level anymore. I just can’t lock on to a moving target like I should, and with 40% of my vision practically gone… it’s chaotic to the least.”
Nik Lentz could be seen noticeably tending to his eye in the middle of his fight with Evloev on Saturday. To the uninformed observer, Lentz could have been thought to be reacting to an accidental eye poke. In reality, the eye injury took place in his previous fight against Arnold Allen. The injury was bad enough for Lentz to have eye surgery without the guarantee that the operation would yield long-term results. Unfortunately, Lentz learned during his bout against Evloev that his vision is simply not strong enough to carry on competing.
Nik Lentz will retire with a professional record of 30-12-2. He holds victories over names like Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, and Danny Castillo. He has been a UFC athlete for over 11 years.
What will you remember most about Nik Lentz and his MMA career?
