Neil Seery was hoping to kick his feet up on Saturday night with his professional career behind him.
But given the circumstances that claimed Seery’s UFC Belfast swansong, ‘2 Tap’ reckons he will go on to fight another day.
Illness to opponent Ian McCall meant that the flyweight clash was pulled from Saturday night’s billing, while Seery was given his show money after making weight on Friday morning.
The offer of a late stand-in at catchweight from England’s Brad Pickett was appreciated but never likely to go ahead given the fact that he’s scheduled to share the Octagon with Urijah Faber for his retirement fight next month.
A visibly and understandably disappointed Seery announced that he does not want to see his career end on such an anti-climactic note and, being a fighter first and foremost, that he would bow out in combat rather than a fight withdrawal.
“I don’t think I’m going to go out like this,” Seery told MMA Junkie.
“I had a lot of support coming up from Dublin and I had a fantastic training camp.
“I felt really good and I made the 126lbs limit like I always do.
“It’s happened Ian twice so it’s left a bit of a bad taste in people’s mouth at the minute, with people giving him stick here and there. But it’s hard to do what we do.”
Here’s hoping that Seery, a true veteran of the fight game in Ireland, gets the chance to hang up his gloves on his terms because that is the very least he deserves.
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