UFC 206's Jordan Mein explains why he was 'never really retired' from MMA

When Jordan Mein announced his retirement from MMA competition in August 2015, he felt it was a decision that would stick for good. That obviously wasn’t the case.

Mein (29-10 MMA, 3-2 UFC) surprised many people when at just 27 he decided to walk away from the sport he’s been doing for more than a decade. He said he was worn out both mentally and physically, but as time passed, the itch for competition started to come back. Now he makes his return for a UFC 206 matchup with Emil Meek (8-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC).

“I really felt that way – I felt I was retired, and I felt that I didn’t want to come back,” Mein told MMAjunkie. “That was my mental state at the time. Then I got a year and a bit, a year-and-a-half (away) to really soak in everything and change my mental attitude and realize that this is an opportunity I have in front of me. Once that change happened, it was natural. I was training. I emailed (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva, and now here we are.”

UFC 206 takes place Saturday at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

With the upcoming fight marking the 40th professional contest of Mein’s run, he’s already experienced more in the sport than most will in an entire career. He’s fought in various promotions against some big names, but after his most recent fight, a second-round knockout loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 183 in January 2015, he couldn’t keep up with the relentless demands of being a high-level competitor and needed to break away.

“Fighting all the time and putting your body through that mentally, physically, it was definitely a big part of it,” Mein said. “It wasn’t just one thing, it was a bunch of things, it was a lot of things. The thing I’ve learned the most is just where to be mentally. It’s not just physical, it’s a lot mental. To get into that mental place and be comfortable is what I’ve learned.”

Although he was technically retired, Mein said he never truly had a life away from the sport. He didn’t appear inside the octagon but said he maintained a training schedule very similar to what he did before making the announcement.

The stresses of not being an active fighter helped him regain his focus, though, he said, and before he knew it, he was back to doing what he knows best.

“I never really retired,” Mein said. “I was in the gym every day. I’m not even out of the gym. Nothing has changed. I’m the same person, but I think it was just mental. It was a process I needed to go through. Now that I have, I feel great.”

Throughout his career, Mein has dealt with all sorts of triumphs and faults. At UFC 206, however, he said his opponent, Meek, will bring something fresh to the table. Mein said he’s yet to compete against someone debuting in the organization and eager to make a name on a big stage. That’s what Meek represents, and Mein said that gets him excited.

“I’ve never fought a guy that is first coming into the UFC,” Mein said. “When you’re first coming into the UFC, you really want to make a statement and you want to be very aggressive and very explosive, so I have to look out for that, for sure.”

For more on UFC 206, check out the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.