At this point in the nearly 30-year history of the UFC, it’s no secret that walking away from the sport of MMA is an incredibly difficult decision for most fighters. The competitive drive that fuels the rise of a top-flight athlete rarely ever gets turned off, even when age, health, or life circumstances suggest that it might be best to do something else.
For Ray Borg, the moment of reckoning with his future as a professional fighter came in late August. The former flyweight title challenger had recently been forced from a UFC bout against Nate Maness—for the ninth time in his Octagon career, and the second time in two months.