Why UFC vet Alan Belcher decided to officially call it quits

Alan Belcher

Middleweight Alan Belcher said he didn’t announce his retirement for the usual reasons.

Injuries didn’t cut his career short, he today told MMAjunkie Radio, though at one point they certainly threatened to.

Rather, it was his business aspirations and the reality of a career in fighting that prompted a realization that continuing in the UFC was unlikely to yield the result he desired.

Sidelined for more than two years after an accidental eye-poke caused a detached retina, Belcher (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) started a consulting business aimed at the fitness and martial-arts industry. He eventually came to the conclusion that his position in the MMA community lent itself to success as a teacher and advisor rather than a fighter.

“I’m not going to (fight) just to do it,” Belcher, 31, said. “The only reason for me to do fighting is to be the best in the world, and I know what that takes because I’ve been in there.

“It takes 100 percent dedication and focus, and I really just had to pick which one I wanted to focus on more.”

Belcher said he’s already seen the potential of his business, and when weighing that against the uncertain future of fighting, he sees the former as a better investment.

“As you get older, you take less risks,” he said. “I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a businessman. I take a lot of risks every single day. But I don’t want to risk not making it to the highest level (in fighting). I know what it would take, and it’s not a guaranteed thing.

“I’d be throwing away a lot of time and money potentially, and not to mention, I help a lot of people. I teach martial arts and business on an international level, so there are so many people that I love helping that really need the content my companies are putting out right now. To me, that’s way more important than any selfish personal goal like the belt. I was just being realistic with it.”

Belcher stepped into the UFC’s octagon on 15 occasions, earning a 9-6 record. While his last two appearances ended in losses, he said his decision to retire was also influenced by the changing marketplace for sponsors.

“When I had my last fights with (Michael) Bisping and Yushin Okami, and the couple before that, the sponsorships were really dying down because of the quantity of UFC (events) every year, several times a month, so the vendors didn’t want to spend as much money paying people for a banner or paying to be on shorts,” he said. “The recent thing with (former UFC fighter) John Alessio being an Uber driver – a lot of things people are waking up to right now, and I wanted to be the first guy to come out and teach people how to make it, really, as a fighter.

“If all you’re doing is counting on being the world champion, that should be your goal, but you have to know when to leverage your expertise. A lot of these guys could have great, huge businesses and make tons of money being an instructor or a business owner teaching fitness; they don’t know how to. All they know how to do is work out. And they work hard at it, they just don’t know how to work hard as a business.”

Belcher said it will be his goal to help fighters and martial artists plan for the future. By doing so, he’ll be securing his.

“To me, it’s all about doing what you’re passionate about doing, and not having to make those choices like I need to put money on the table, so I’ll become an Uber driver,” he said. “That’s not how I live my life – by chance, and this is all I got. I do what the hell I want, and so if I wanted to fight, I could. But I choose not to.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show, available on SiriusXM Ch. 93, is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.