SBG Ireland Fighter, Bellator Talent Luka Jelcic Retires from MMA at Age 29
Luka Jelcic has decided to hang up his gloves at the age of 29.
The SBG Ireland-trained Croatian was scheduled to lock horns
against Italy’s Luca Vitali
at Bellator 211, but he was forced to pulled out of the bout due to
undisclosed reasons. The former
Final Fight Championship lightweight titlist communicated his
decision to retire in a post on his Instagram profile. Undisclosed
health problems in recent years have denied Jelcic the ability to
train and fight at his best.
“Time to call it a day,” Jelcic wrote. “I’ve worked hard and done more then I ever imagined I would. The truth isn’t what I want it to be but it is what it is and the only thing I can do is to accept it. The reason I started fighting again was because of you Ivana, none of this would be possible without you and you are the sole reason for everything I’ve achieved, we’ve achieved. You were unbelievable every step of the way. Thank you. My family, friends, coaches, teammates, sponsors and everyone that supported me, thank you.”
Jelcic ends his career after 13 fights, with a record of 10 wins and 3 defeats. In his last fight, Jelcic succumbed to first-round punches from Brandon Girtz at Bellator 190 in December 2017. The loss snapped Jelcic’s four-fight winning streak and left the SBG Ireland representative with a sour taste in his mouth, since many observers admitted the finish of the Girtz fight was controversial. At least one of the shots in the climactic barrage appeared to connect to the back of Jelcic’s head.
“The Hitman” declared in a previous interview with Sherdog that he “paid the price big-time” for that controversial finish, especially regarding his health status.
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