George Sullivan – Return fight at ROC 79 is for me to say ‘goodbye’ the right way
“The Silencer” George Sullivan returns for one last fight
Imagine if you will, making a career decision simply because you believed that the results that were in front of you were in fact truth.
Then imagine, after you have made that life changing decision, you learn that the results which impacted your decision, were false.
This is exactly what happened to George Sullivan following his November 2019 loss to Joe Riggs at Ring of Combat 70. Riggs would win the bout by way of third round TKO, but the fight would later be overturned to a no-contest by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board after Riggs tested positive for a banned substance.
“What did it for me (in speaking about his decision to retire from mixed martial arts competition) was, he felt really strong, and I felt weak,” Sullivan told MyMMANews. “He repeatedly hit me in the back of the head, nothing he hit me with was a legal shot, but they TKO’d me. I flash-greenlighted and when I came to, I thought about my daughter, and ‘was this worth it?’ I’m getting out-muscled and banged up, and for what?’ Little did I know, he was 220-pounds, and I was only 195. Everything that could have gone bad, went bad with that fight. It was a complete let down. It pissed me off and I was like, ‘I’m done with this s**t.’ Then I got word that he pissed hot, and the fight was overturned, and I was like, ‘motherf**ker, I felt like s**t for nothing, retired for nothing.”
The following year, in 2020, the world turned upside with the coronavirus pandemic and life as we previously knew it, was put on standstill. Gyms were forced to close, and in states like New Jersey, where Sullivan resides, legal action was a course of reprimand for those who broke the rules.
As a gym owner himself, Sullivan felt the hardships that were taking place, but he still had other successful business ventures to provide for the family.
It was during a trip to Colorado where Sullivan outbiked several of the locals in the mountains, where he realized that his lung capacity was still able to hold up against younger competitors.
“I went back to Jersey and approached my coaches and was like, ‘you know what? What about one more fight?'”
Things began to fall into place and “The Silencer” Sullivan found himself training again for a fight, more than three years removed from his last outing.
Now 41, Sullivan has one more fight in him. He faces AT McCowin for the vacant Ring of Combat middleweight title at ROC 79 on March 3 in Atlantic City.
Win or lose, Sullivan says this fight truly is his final test
“This fight is not for money,” Sullivan said. “This fight is for no reason, other than doing it for myself. I miss it, I love it, and I want a fair fight to say goodbye,” he said with anger towards what happened in the Riggs fight. “If I had beat Joe Riggs, I wouldn’t have retired,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to smash his face in, and he cheated me from that. It is what it is. If I had legitimately lost to him, I would have retired and that would be the end of it. This fight against AT McCowin is what I deserve for giving 20 years of my life to this sport. I was in the UFC, I won five world titles with Cage Fury Fighting Championships. This is my eighth world title fight. I don’t need anything after this.”
With a pro MMA record of 18-8, and UFC experience behind him, Sullivan feels he is the better fighter, but has no ill will towards his future opponent. If anything, Sullivan believes McCowin could be the future of the sport. At 32-years of age and eight pro fights to his name, McCowin is the greener athlete, but Sullivan is convinced that he will retire with championship gold in hand.
“I’m taking this fight very seriously,” Sullivan said. “I am a steppingstone for AT, who I think is a genuine guy. I think he is a great guy, but this is my legacy fight. This is for me to say ‘goodbye.’ It means more to me than winning the title and defending it.”
George Sullivan on the one fight he wants back
“I had some losses in the UFC that really hurt me,” Sullivan said. “Getting choked by Mickey Gall is probably the worst. I should have never punched him in the face while he was attempted to rear-naked choke me. I had to listen to what my corner said, and they told me to do that. I even got a call from the UFC, and they asked, ‘Why did you listen to your corner?’ I didn’t see the arm coming under and that was embarrassing. I lost in a minute and 10 seconds. The other part of it is that Mickey Gall called me and out and said he was going to stand and strike with me. He even told me after, ‘I never planned on standing and striking with you. I was gonna take you down and try to choke you.’ And I fell for it. That was probably the most embarrassing one for me.”
Sullivan on his worst performance
“Before I got to the UFC I was really disappointed in the Elijah Harshbarger fight because I was really sick and I was told not to take the fight,” Sullivan continued. “I lost my first title shot to a piece of s**t fighter who was slow and just took my back. He didn’t even try to choke me. He just held me in one position. That was probably my worst performance. The nurse told me not to take the fight but I did it anyway. That was my biggest regret because it cost me a major loss, but it also opened my eyes on ho to cut weight.”
Sullivan talks about the best moment in his fighting career
“Knocking Igor Araújo out in Brazil with 14,000 people cheering ‘You’re going to die,’ and only me, my wife, and three cornermen there was my greatest moment. To knock somebody out unconscious from another country, and they wanted to kill me, but then I told them how much I loved Brazil and then they respected me, was just amazing. I never disrespected them. They are the most hardcore MMA fans in the world. When I showed them respect, they showed me respect back. It was a beautiful thing.”
The future of George Sullivan
“I want to see my gym grow. I was absolutely crushing it before COVID, and then because of everything that happened, I had to rebuild. I gave my life to fighting and after this fight, I want to give my life to my wife, my son, and my daughter. I am looking forward to this fight. My last few fights were about money and where it was going to put me. No interest in the money in this fight. I just want to go have fun again.”
To watch George Sullivan fight at Ring of Combat 79 on March 3, visit airy.tv.
