Fighting veteran Shamar Bailey announced Sunday that he has decided to retire from the sport of MMA.
The decision was announced on Bailey's Facebook page just one day after he lost to Mark Stoddard at Pinnacle Combat 17 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, according to MMAjunkie. Bailey wrote on his page that the loss ended with him getting kicked in the head while he was on one knee, which he said is illegal to do in a fight.
"I looked to the ref to intervene and opponent continued throwing strikes ... it is going to the Iowa commission for final review and will go from there," he said.
32-year-old Bailey ended his career with a 16-11 record in MMA, having competed in the UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce, MMAjunkie reported. He was also the first pick made by former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos for his team in the 13th season of the "The Ultimate Fighter".
The Indianapolis-based fighter beat Ryan McGillivray in his first official fight in the UFC, and lost to the likes of UFC lightweight Josh Shockley. Chris Lytle and Matt Mitrione are among the training partners Bailey has had throughout his career. In addition to being an MMA fighter, Bailey has and still is a firefighter in Indianapolis.
Bailey said on his Facebook page that no matter what the Iowa commission decides to do, he should let the next generation of fighters take over, MMAjunkie reported.
"I can no longer put the work in the gym that is required with the other responsibilities/goals on my plate," Bailey wrote. "It's been fun and I look forward to contributing in other ways."
