Eryk Anders wants the final fight on his UFC contract to be a sendoff at home.
Anders (17-7 MMA, 9-8 UFC) meets Christian Leroy Duncan (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 72 on Aug. 9 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He’ll have one more fight left on his contract after that, and he wants it to be a special one.
The 38-year-old plans on hanging up his gloves once his UFC contract is up and has two locations in mind – Noche UFC on Sept. 13 or the UFC’s annual pay-per-view event in November.
“They’re going to San Antonio, that’s my hometown, so that would be like a dream come true,” Anders told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s the last fight on my contract and my 20th fight, and I’d be good retiring after that, and that’s the plan anyway.
“But if not there, then I was supposed to fight in Madison Square Garden last year against Weidman but got sick, couldn’t fight, doctors pulled me from the fight, then we fought in Vegas. Madison Square is like the mecca for combat sports. Big boxing bouts, UFC fights have happened there, so I definitely want to fight there. If I can make that happen and that would be my last fight, then we’re off to the sunset.”
Anders explains how his financial situation has allowed him not to feel obligated to stay very active.
“I got a lot of other things going on, so I don’t have to fight,” Anders said. “I enjoy fighting, I love fighting, but I’m trying to move in other avenues. I used to like press the UFC to fight. ‘I want to fight, I want to fight, I want to fight.’ But now, I can take my time in between fights. I’m getting ready to open up a gym in September. I’m doing all this stuff now to get that going, so I have other things occupying my mind and time.”
