Sayif Saud “proud” of Uriah Hall’s career and everything he accomplished following his retirement from MMA: “Uriah had a great run”

Sayif Saud is proud of everything he accomplished coaching Uriah Hall.

Hall joined Fortis MMA back in 2019 ahead of his fight with Antonio Carlos Junior. He won that bout and then went on to defeat both Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. However, Hall went on to suffer a decision loss to Sean Strickland in a main event contest and then lost to Andre Muniz by deicison.

Although Hall was still a top-15 middleweight, he announced his retirement from MMA which caught many by surprise. According to Fortis MMA’s head coach Sayif Saud, he says he would rather have a fighter retire too soon than too late. However, the door is also open for Hall to return if he wants to.

“It’s always good when someone retires and you are surprised because that means you still held them in high regard. Uriah had a great run there he won four fights in a row, multiple main events, and beat his idol in Anderson Silva on that Halloween night,” Saud said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com about Hall. “Anderson has been whipping everyone’s ass since then and he was tough that night. He had a tough fight against Sean Strickland and then dropped this fight, had a tough fight. Uriah doesn’t want to be a guy that’s just hanging on.

“He wanted to make a run for the belt, he had a great career and is approaching 40 years of age and it’s time. He’s a very talented guy, so good at coaching and working with kids, he might be one of the best guys I’ve ever seen working with my kids in my life. He’s done a ton of with the UFC, and he does these seminars and is great,” Saud continued about Hall. “It’s time. Could he make another run? Sure. I told him ‘to do whatever he wants and I will support you with whatever you do and if you change your mind and want to do a fight in six months or a year, we can revisit it.’ I think it’s a great decision and I’m proud of him and proud of everything we accomplished. I thought it was great and I enjoyed every bit of it.”

Uriah Hall ended his career with a record of 17-11 and holds notable wins over Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman, Gegard Mousasi, Thiago Santos, and Aung La NSang among countless others.

What is your favorite career memory of Uriah Hall?