Retiring Champion

Steven Rogers retires from MMA as Elite 1 MMA Lightweight champion

Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

Two days after Steven Rogers retired from Professional Mixed Martial Arts following his win over Jason MacKay Saturday night at the Casino New Brunswick in Moncton, he was still happy with his decision.

“I’m just wondering what I’m going to do with all my free time,” he said. “Maybe trout fishing.”

The 34-year old Elite 1 MMA Lightweight champion, who’s been in the sport for four years, let promoters know after the fight it was his last. It was a decision he made before his controversial fight with Ricky Goodall back in May, which was ruled a no-contest after it was reviewed and determined a low-blow was given to Rogers by the MMA commission in Moncton, but he decided to put off retirement in favour of a rematch.

After Goodall dropped out of the fight, Rogers remained, citing that he didn’t want to disappoint those who paid money to see him fight and the opportunity to fight someone of MacKay’s quality.

Though retired, Rogers plans on remaining relevant in the sport and will help train friend Matt MacGrath for an upcoming fight.

Rogers said the closing of his MMA training facility Island Impact because of the cost of upkeep was a big part of the decision as well as being tired of devoting so much time to the sport.

“They have a really good club up in Charlottetown and stuff but I don’t know that I want to travel, three or four days a week an hour each way, to train,” he said. “After working all day it’s like ah geez, it’s a beautiful day outside and I got to drive to Charlottetown and sweat for two hours and get punched in the face a bunch of times.”

Drama within the sport, especially with the Goodall fight, began to take its toll too, said Rogers.

“There was a lot of people criticizing me and stuff online. One guy was saying why doesn’t Steve defend himself but I don’t talk shit about anybody. Never have, ever,” he said. “Training in MMA was an outlet for me. When that stuff starts to cause me drama instead of being an outlet that’s it. I mean everyone has to retire.”

The only regret Rogers has leaving the sport as a competitor is the way his fight with Goodall ended.

“If there was (a fight) I could do over or have another smack at, that would be the one.”

He said he feels he had some great accomplishments in his MMA career, including winning the Lightweight title for the Elite 1 MMA promotion.

“People say if you haven’t defended it enough times you’re not really a champion, to me I can’t believe they would say something like that. I don’t understand how that would make four years work to get the belt any less valuable to me. Even if I lost it in the very first fight I ever had and it wouldn’t even matter how I lost it, I still earned that title. That’s an accomplishment that I’ll always have.”

Rogers said his retirement is final and doesn’t plan on having a Brett Favre like change of heart.