Dublin crowd favourite Neil Seery set to hang up his gloves after UFC Belfast

VETERAN UFC flyweight Neil ‘2 Tap’ Seery’s fight at UFC Fight Night in Belfast will be his last.

Seery takes on American Ian McCall in an eagerly-anticipated 125lb clash at the SSE Arena on November 19.

And the hugely popular flyweight told Irish radio station Newstalk that the time was right for him to call it quits.

“I’m 37 years of age,” he said.

“I’m looking at the younger lads coming through the ranks – how they’re training and adjusting – and it’s hard for me to keep up with that with a family, a full-time job and everything else I’m managing.”

Seery certainly can’t be accused of leaving the UFC with a whimper. Ever since his arrival in the Octagon back in 2014 as a 22-fight veteran, Seery has never taken a backwards step.

He lost a narrow decision to Brit Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett on his debut, then rebounded with back-to-back wins over Phil Harris and Chris Beal.

A loss to Louis Smolka at UFC 189 saw him bounce back again with an impressive submission finish of Jon Delos Reyes at UFC Fight Night in his home town of Dublin, before he lost out to the world-class Japanese contender Kyoji Horiguchi in his most recent outing in Rotterdam.

And Seery revealed the loss to Horiguchi proved the lightbulb moment that led him to decide on his upcoming retirement.

“Horiguchi was a completely different fighter to me than he was against Demetrious Johnson,” he explained.

“I had never felt a flyweight as strong as he was that night. That’s how much these guys are training, they can completely change their approach in just a year.

“These guys are full-time athletes. I’ve never been a full-time athlete and I’ve hung in there with those guys.

“But I’m not here to just hang in there with people just so I can say I’m in the UFC. I’m happy with what I’ve done in the sport. Now is the right time.”

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Submission win: Neil Seery locks up a fight-ending guillotine choke to defeat Jon Delos Reyes at UFC Dublin[/caption]

Seery’s final flourish will take place in Belfast on what will be an emotional night for the Dubliner, whose all-action, come-forward style of fighting made him a hugely popular figure among hardcore fight fans in Ireland and the UK.

“I’m going to get to walk away while I’m still in the UFC and not a lot of people get to do that,” he said.

“A lot of people get cut from the UFC and then try to put a run back together to get back in.

“I’ve made this decision. My final fight will be against a man whose style I have admired for a long time. The fact that I get to have my final fight in Belfast is just a really nice bonus.”