UFC Veteran Jon Olav Einemo Retires
Jon Olav Einemo has elected to retire from mixed martial arts after recently being cut from the UFC, the heavyweight told Norwegian news outlet VG Nett on Tuesday.
Einemo fought just twice in the octagon, making his debut at the age of 35 at UFC 131. He lost the match against Dave Herman by TKO, but the bout was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus. He came back at UFC on FOX 2, but was mostly smothered by Mike Russow en route to a unanimous decision loss.
Einemo told the paper that he could have returned to the UFC with a few wins, but decided against trying because it would require spending time away from his family. He said he would continue to stay involved in the sport as a coach and to help the sport grow in his native Norway.
The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder's pro fight career began in 2000, and he won his first five pro fights while focusing mainly on jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. In 2003, he won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission grappling tournament in his weight class, beating Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie along the way.
In 2006, the Golden Glory member fought in PRIDE, losing a decision to Fabricio Werdum. Then, after beating James Thompson later that year, he vanished from the sport due to several causes, including family reasons, training concerns and various injuries.
After a nearly five-year hiatus, he reappeared in early 2011, signing with the UFC but was unable to reach the expectations he'd set for himself.
The 36-year-old Einemo calls it quits with a 6-3 career record.
