Some eyebrows were raised when UFC fighter Jordan Mein announced he was retiring from the sport at just 25 years of age, but a year later he’s changed his mind and is now ready to make a comeback.
Bas Rutten was the first to reveal the news on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, and sources have since confirmed that is indeed the case.
Mein had originally opted to hang up his gloves a few months after a second round TKO loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 183 in January of 2015.
‘Young Gun’ had actually won two fights in the Octagon prior to that, but it seems that Mein was rapidly becoming burnt out after having undertaken just under 40 professional fights since he was 16 years old.
By way of comparison, consider the fact that UFC hall-of-famer Chuck Liddell had 29 fights over his entire career and Randy Couture had 30.
In fairness, they were fighting against elite competition in the UFC for most of their storied careers, but nonetheless, for a 25 year-old to have so many bouts, it’s easy to see how it could take a toll on Mein both mentally and physically.
After taking time out though, Mein is now rejuvinated and is expected to now return to the UFC, where he is still under contract, before the end of the year after undergoing a mandatory four months of USADA drug-testing.
