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Former UFC middleweight veteran Ian Heinisch has announced his retirement from the sport.
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Earlier, 'The Hurricane' had publicly declared a period of indeterminate absence from the sport and had removed himself from the UFC's anti-doping program.
In a video shared on Instagram in July, Ian Heinisch candidly discussed his previous battles with substance abuse and legal challenges. The 35-year-old American disclosed his experiences dealing with skin conditions stemming from the use of anabolic medications for treating staph infections:
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"I’m making the decision right now to take a step back and get out of the USADA pool, do some peptides, and some other treatments and heal. That’s what I’m trying to do right now. Yeah, it’s tough, but it’s been a long journey and I have to do this. I can’t keep making my head worse. I know I can’t."
Check out Heinisch's Instagram post below:
Heinisch has been fighting professionally since 2015 and has fought in 19 fights, seven of which have taken place in the UFC octagon. He began his UFC career on a three-fight winning streak in 2018 but has since gone 1-4 in his last five fights.
Why was Ian Heinisch imprisoned?
Ian Heinisch was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and was homeschooled by his parents, who put him in wrestling courses to harness his energy. Initially, this wrestling career brought him to North Idaho College. However, he dropped out of college and began selling recreational drugs for a living.
Subsequently, Heinisch faced legal issues for sealing over 2,000 'ecstasy pills' in the United States. To avoid imprisonment, he fled, first to Amsterdam and then to Spain. In Spain, he continued his illicit activities but was apprehended by Spanish immigration authorities with a kilo of cocaine.
This marked the start of his three-and-a-half-year prison sentence in the Canary Islands. During his time there, Heinisch underwent a transformation. He found solace in religion, taught himself Spanish using a Spanish Bible and an English Dictionary, and engaged in a form of wrestling known as Lucha Canaria. These experiences helped him rediscover his path and turn his life around.
