Allen Crowder Announces MMA Retirement After Memory Issues

UFC heavyweight Allen Crowder has decided to retire from mixed martial arts (MMA).

Crowder went 1-2 under the UFC’s banner, his one victory being a disqualification win over Greg Hardy, after an impressive showing on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Speaking to BJPenn.com, Crowder announced his retirement, noting his business outside of fighting is doing well, which gives him something to fall back on.

“Retiring, or quitting fighting whichever one you prefer. I am only 30 years old right now, my last three fights ended in concussions,” Crowder said. “My business is going really well, and, the money is not where I had hoped it would be when I made it to the UFC so I made the decision for my health to stop now.”

Crowder further explained that health reasons are a big part of his decision to walk away from the fight game. The 30-year-old has been having memory issues as of late. Having a child and a whole life ahead of him, Crowder explained continuing to fight simply wasn’t worth the risk.

“I just turned 30 this year and I’ve had some memory problems, and it wasn’t worth it and I want to watch my little girl grow up. [The memory loss] has been happening more and more lately. I’m talking to the doctor about it now and just find out what is happening. It is just little stuff like I’ll be making coffee and I put theanine in it to avoid the crash,” Crowder said.

“So, I’ll put my cup in the Keurig and I’ll look for the theanine. I’ll then stress out to my wife because I can’t find it. It will be beside the cup, which is now off the Keurig and I can’t remember taking the theanine out of the cupboard or taking the cup off the Keurig. This is not good.”

What do you think about Crowder’s decision to retire?