Ian Heinisch Suffered from Consistent Headaches, Confusion Before Retiring from MMA

Ian Heinisch initially planned to take a temporary hiatus from mixed martial arts, but that break has turned into a full-fledged retirement for the benefit of his overall well-being.

The seven-time Octagon veteran hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC on ESPN 27. Citing numerous health issues — including head trauma and concussions — Heinisch announced in 2023 that he was stepping away from the sport. At the time, he insisted that he was “not quitting.” As it turns out, brain injuries would ultimately send Heinisch into an early retirement — but it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.

“Man, I hid it for probably a year-and-a-half. When I was supposed to fight Sam Alvey, I had to pull out of that fight. I couldn’t hide it anymore,” Heinisch recently told MMAjunkie.com. “I couldn’t go to the gym. I didn’t feel like myself. I had headaches all the time. I had confusion. One time, I was driving in my car and I forgot where I was at. That was when I was like, ‘OK, my only priority right now is to feel normal again.’ Luckily, through stem cells and CPI and all these different treatments and just time, not getting hit, I’m feeling good. I’m still training, not doing anything contact. But I love this sport, man. It chose me, and now it’s been taken from me. It sucks, but my heart is still here for the people and I love my journey.”

The aforementioned booking against Alvey was scheduled for February 2022. While fighting had been priority No. 1 for quite some time, Heinisch is glad he decided to listen to his body, and he urges others in a similar position to do the same.

“At one point, I didn’t care if I fought again,” Heinisch said. “I didn’t care about anything except to feel normal again. It was to that point. If you’re struggling with that, man, I’m telling you, rest your brain. It can heal, but you’ve got to let it rest. It was tough. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I’ve been training MMA, eating, sleeping, and breathing this sport for the past decade. I changed my life. I was rock bottom in a foreign prison cell and I got to the top 10. I felt like I was close to making a title run, but God has different plans. I’m blessed in this journey. God is using me for where I’m at now.”

Now 36 years old, Heinish went 3-4 during his UFC tenure after earning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series in July 2018, earning victories over the likes of Cezar Ferreira, Antonio Carlos Jr. and Gerald Meerschaert. “The Hurricane” compiled a 14-5 record over the course of his professional career and was also a Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight champion.