Charles "Chainsaw" McCarthy Retires

 

McCarthy RetiresThursday, April 24, 2008

by Sherdog.com Staff




UFC veteran


Charles McCarthy (Pictures)

announced his retirement Thursday in an e-mail sent to various Web sites.






"I would like to announce my formal retirement from mixed martial arts competition," he wrote. "I have achieved many of the goals I set out to accomplish in this sport and found others just out of reach. It is now time for me to lay down my gloves and rededicate my attention towards my business, my fighters, my family and my team."






Michael Bisping (Pictures)

injured McCarthy's arm in the first round of their UFC middleweight bout Saturday in Montreal. After the round ended, McCarthy (10-5) could not continue.






"The successes I have found in my career are due in large part to all the great people who have helped me along the way," wrote the American Top Team representative in his e-mail. "Being involved with the true champions at American Top Team has guided me to become a better father, husband, teacher and friend. Without the great generosity of ATT, my life would have had a void. I hope that everyone reading can one day feel the love of a great family as I have.






"Thank you to all who have supported mixed martial arts. You have helped me live out a childhood dream of being a professional athlete. I am proud to say that in some small way I helped to grow our great sport and entertain fans across the world."

Guess it wasn't a popular subject, i went through the first 100 posts and didn't see it....oh well...TTB with my thread too.



Read his interview on mmaweekly. He's a realist, Great interview.

I hate to see him go. Charles is a good guy.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=6151&zoneid=2


 

 My goal in my career was always to be the best, and you know it just didn’t work out this time. I’m okay with that. I kind of hit the whole glass ceiling in my career and I don’t feel like dwindling on past my usefulness.”


He also went onto say that the decision to leave is something that he thought about prior to the fight with Bisping.


“It’s something that was in the back of my head a little bit,” McCarthy commented about the timing of his retirement. “We train so hard and we put so much time into it. I figure I’ve worked since November to do this and there’s so many other things going on in my life that I put on the back burner since November. You know, at the end of the day, that paycheck that used to be enough, isn’t enough anymore.”


While he now retires from fighting, McCarthy will still be a major player in mixed martial arts, training and teaching new fighters at his BocaMMA facility (an American Top Team affiliate), along with friend and trainer Cole Miller.


“I have a gym full of guys that need my attention, so I plan on giving them as much of that as they can possibly handle,” he stated. “I think out of everything that’s what I enjoy doing the most and I’d like to be able to focus my attention on that.”


McCarthy looks back fondly on his time as a fighter, though, seeming to have no regrets, appreciative of the experience.


“Thank you to all who have supported Mixed Martial Arts. You have helped me live out a childhood dream of being a professional athlete. I am proud to say that in some small way I helped to grow our great sport and entertain fans across the world. Some of the best friends I have made throughout my career I met on the other side of the cage. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to compete with them and entertain the

good luck to him!

would have liked to see him go out on a win instead of getting clowned like he did. charles is a good guy (it seems) but the comment that he is a "realist" must be a new developement.


he is young and over time he will forget. he will unretire again, just like everyone else does-MM

 I wish him tremendous continued success.



Charles ....you fought great bud !!! Much better than you are being givin credit for. That was a beautiful takedown and you almost submitted him...you had the armbar in on a top tier atlete. People dont realize how good bisbing is yet and when they do, you will get your due !!!

Charles is a great manager and coach. I can totally see him leading fighters to great heights !!! See ya soon man. Much respect to you

Best wishes to you Charles. Those who dont know you or watched you grow wont appreciate how much you have accomplished. I certainly remember the early days of your career with Ricardo, Marcos, et all. Ending up at ATT which is a great relationship for the both of you. All the best to you and your future, which I am pretty positive is more promising than most fighters in the UFC or any organization in the fight world today.


Best Wishes from The Armory and JoeM.