UFC
Heavyweight John Olav Einemo retires following UFC release
Apr 4, 2012 - 1:00:06 PM Heavyweight John Olav Einemo retires following UFC release

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Heavyweight veteran John Olav Einemo has retired from MMA following his release from the UFC.

Einemo revealed his decision to walk away in an interview with Norwegian outlet VG Nett (via MMAFighting.com) on Tuesday.

The 6' 6" Norwegian made his MMA debut back in 2000, but had two lengthy hiatuses during his run due to a number of reasons. The second lengthy absence held him out of action nearly five years before he made his UFC debut last June.

However, losses to Dave Herman by TKO, then Mike Russow by decision in January, led the UFC to release him from his contract. He was told he'd have a chance to return should he pick up some wins outside of the organization, but the 36-year-old opted instead to retire, as continuing to fight would take him away from his family.

Einemo will concentrate now on coaching and trying to help build the sport of MMA in his native Norway. He leaves the sport with a 6-3 record overall.

Penick's Analysis: Einemo didn't perform well in his two UFC appearances, so the release itself wasn't all that surprising. He never really got to make the best of his skills in the sport due to injuries and illnesses, and being away from the sport for as long as he was before his UFC debut certainly wasn't conducive to success once he got there. At 36, he wasn't likely to make any major strides in his skills and training to make another run, and if he'd rather be with his family than try to toil in the European scene, who can blame him?