UFC fighter Jack Shore shocked the MMA world when he announced his retirement at the early age of 29.
The featherweight fighter had a good run before his debut at the UFC. Shore was formerly the bantamweight champion at the Cage Warriors before making his way to the UFC where he won all five of his UFC bouts.
Shore was in a good row and had a clear shot to the top before encountering Ricky Simon in 2022. Simon ended his reign as the bantamweight, but Shore was undeterred and moved up the division. The fighter didn’t have much luck in this weight class and suffered back-to-back defeats against Joanderson Brito and Youssef Zalal.
His submission loss to Zalal was the last straw for the Welshman, marking the end of his time in the octagon. Since his contract ended, Shore has refused to re-sign with UFC or any other promotion. The fighter took to social media to share a sentimental post announcing his retirement from MMA.
“Hello guys, been quiet for a while, enjoying time with my friends and family,” Shore wrote. “As what may come as a surprise to a few I’ve decided to hang up the gloves on my professional fighting career. After fighting out my contract and taking some time to think about what’s next it’s clear to me that my time with professional fighting is done. Although I had the chance to re-sign with UFC I’ve decided my times done. I want to thank the UFC for letting me live out my childhood dream of fighting for the world’s biggest organisation and against some of the best in the world, I’ve enjoyed every minute!
“From what started as a kid with a dream lead me to amateur titles, world titles and living out my dream of fighting in the UFC. I can truly say for every single fight, I gave the training and the fights my all, never said no, never asked questions, just kept my head down, stayed true to myself and achieved more than I ever thought possible,”
Shore continued. “For the entirety of my 20s fighting and training was my life and sole focus, however, the last few weeks/months have showed this is no longer the case. And I always promised myself when I was mentality checked out, I would retire from the sport rather than the sport retire me. Injuries have caught up with me after a lifetime in the sport. I’m leaving with my mental in check, good health, financially stable and am fully ready to move onto the future.”
The fighter plans on spending his remaining days coaching upcoming fighters alongside his father.
