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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Following his third straight knockout loss, longtime UFC veteran Sam Stout has decided to retire from active competition.
The 31-year-old Canadian was stopped by Frankie Perez just a week and a half ago at UFC Fight Night 74 in Saskatoon, and he announced this week that it's simply time for him to walk away.
"I had told myself, 'If this happens again, that's it,'" Stout said in an interview with Dave Deibert of PostMedia News. "I don't think that's the reason why [the knockout] happened; I got caught with a punch. I used to be able to walk through punches like that without even flinching. It's getting a little older, you take enough punches, your body just starts wondering why we're doing this anymore.
Stout first entered the UFC in 2006, splitting two fights in that first stint; over his next four bouts, he'd appear in one more UFC fight while taking three fights in his home country. He began a third stint at UFC 80 in January of 2008, and would remain in the organization for the next seven and a half years.
In those final 17 fights, Stout went just under .500, posting an 8-9 mark. The losses came sporadically until the end, with Stout avoiding more than two defeats in a row from 2008-2013, but his chin stopped holding up during in the final stretch. A first round KO loss to K.J. Noons in April of last year was the first time he'd ever been stopped in 31 professional fights, and with him following that up with a KO loss to Ross Pearson and the TKO loss to Perez, he knew it was time to walk away.
"Once that happens, in my mind, there's no point," Stout said. "It's just not worth it to keep trying to take stabs at it. You see guys that try to hang on too long. When it gone, it's gone ... I think I can walk out of that cage for the final time with my head held high. No regrets."
Penick's Analysis: This was expected after that loss to Perez. With how quickly that fight ended, it was simply clear he's taken too much damage recently to be able to take further punishment. As unfortunate as it may be, sometimes the body betrays the competitive nature of the competitor, and it's a story that's been seen time and again in this sport. Stout never reached that next level in the UFC, but getting 20 fights in the organization is something that few reach. It obviously wasn't the way he'd have liked to go out, but it's the way most wind up being forced out. We wish him the best in whatever route he takes next.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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