UFC veteran Alan Belcher retires: 'I'm done, I don't want to get hit anymore'

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Alan Belcher was expected to say goodbye to the 185-pound weight class. Instead, he said goodbye to mixed martial arts (MMA) altogether.

Probably because "The Talent" is doing well for himself outside the cage, and I can understand how something like this might be tough to overcome when considering a potential return.

From his recent Periscope session (via MMA Fighting):

"I'm done fighting. I'm finished. I'll never, ever fight again. This is my official retirement. I really feel like talking to instructors and gym owners, business owners is my calling now. That's what I really want to do. I really believe that I could go down that road and fight again, but this is more important to me. I like teaching martial arts. I want to continue teaching students all over the world in my online businesses, so this is my official retirement. That's it. I'm not really going to shed a tear or anything. I'm done. I don't care. I don't want to get hit anymore."

Belcher, 31, ends his career 18-8 with 16 finishes (though it nearly ended prematurely back in 2010).

After compiling four straight wins by way of knockout or submission, "The Talent" dropped back-to-back fights to Yushin Okami and Michael Bisping. My favorite memory of his UFC career was challenging Rousimar Palhares to a battle of leg locks prior to finishing him with strikes (watch it here).

Twister! Banana Split! TKO!