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It wasn’t easy for former NFL standout Shawne Merriman to walk away from the game he loves, but the former linebacker-turned-MMA-promoter knew when it was time. He hopes UFC’s Tony Ferguson will also have that revelation.
The biggest similarity between football and MMA is that they are both very physically demanding sports that take a toll on the body. Mentally, Merriman believed he could still compete on the field, much like Ferguson believes he can still fight against the best inside the cage. However, when the body wasn’t on the same page, and that’s when Merriman knew it was time to retire.
“If your body can’t hold up to compete, it is extremely dangerous,” Merriman told MMA Junkie. “That’s why, when you look at somebody like Tony Ferguson – like yeah, you can go in there and fight, but how are you going to look? How are you going to perform? When you can’t perform anymore, it becomes very dangerous, man.
“I hope at some point he considers it. He’s a hell of a warrior, and has done so much in this sport that he’ll just come to the realization that it’s time.”
Since walking away, Merriman has turned his attention to growing the next generation of MMA fighters at Lights Out Xtreme Fighting. He’s been around the fight game for nearly two decades, and much like with NFL players, he can recognize when it’s time for a fighter to move on.
Ferguson, 39, has lost seven straight UFC fights. What he’s bringing to the cage now is a far cry from the fighter who won 12 in a row over six years. Most aren’t given that much leash when it comes to long skids, but for the Season 13 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” and former interim lightweight champ, the UFC has given Ferguson every opportunity to get back into the win column.
“I’ve been in Pro Bowls, been an All-Pro, been up for Defensive Player of the Year two or three different times, Defensive Rookie of the Year, and now I’m sitting around, hobbling around the field and I can’t get to the football anymore,” Merriman explained. “So, while you’re patted on the back as a warrior, people will sometimes just remember the last things you did.
“I hope that Tony Ferguson figures it out at some point in time. It’s one of the toughest things to do as an athlete, to come to that conclusion.”
Merriman’s next Lights Out Xtreme Fighting event takes place on Jan. 6, at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif., and airs live on Fubo Sports.
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