Ian Heinisch originally planned to take a break from mixed martial arts, but due to concerns about his overall health, that hiatus became a full-fledged retirement.
The seven-time Octagon veteran hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Nasouddin Imavov at UFC on ESPN 27. Citing numerous health issues, including head injuries and concussions, Heinisch announced in 2023 that: I was away from sports. At the time, he insisted he had “no intention of quitting.” As it turned out, Heinisch’s brain injury would eventually force him into early retirement, a decision he doesn’t regret.
“Well, I hid it for probably a year and a half. When I was supposed to fight Sam Alvey, I had to pull out of that fight. I couldn’t hide it anymore,” Heinisch recently told MMAjunkie. told .com. “I couldn’t go to the gym. I didn’t feel like myself. I had headaches all the time. There was confusion. One time I was driving and I forgot where I was. I thought, “Okay, my only priority now is to get back to feeling normal.” Luckily, thanks to stem cells and CPI and all these different treatments and just time, it didn’t take a hit and I feel better. I’m still training and haven’t heard anything. But I love this sport. It chose me and now it has been taken away from me. I’m sad, but my heart is still here for the people and I love my journey. ”
The aforementioned Albee game was scheduled to be booked for February 2022. Although fighting has been his top priority for quite some time, Heinisch is glad he decided to listen to his body and would do the same for others in his position. I urge you to do so.
“At some point, I was willing to fight again,” Heinisch said. “I didn’t care about anything except getting back to feeling normal. That was up until that point. If you’re worried about it, I’m telling you to give your brain a break. There’s no chance of a cure. Yes, I have to take a break. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I have been involved in MMA for the past 10 years. I trained, ate, slept and breathed this sport. It changed my life. I went from rock bottom in a foreign prison to almost reaching the top 10. But God has other plans. I’m blessed on this journey. He’s using me in this position.”
Heinisch, now 36, earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2018 and went 3-4 during his time in the UFC with wins over Cesar Ferreira, Antonio Carlos Jr. and Gerard Meerschaar. He achieved victory over the tigers. “The Hurricane” had a 14-5 record during his professional career and was the Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion.
