Athletes
Court McGee | Calling It A Career
Court ‘The Crusher’ McGee Discusses His Decision To Retire And Go Out On His Own Terms In Front Of A Home Crowd At UFC 332: Silva vs Cong
Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Utah’s own Court McGee will make his final walk to the Octagon, opening UFC 332 at Delta Center against Eric Nolan.
More than 16 years after winning Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, the 41-year-old will close his 25-fight UFC career in front of family and friends.
“Last one, best one,” McGee said when I greeted my longtime friend on our Zoom call to discuss what made this the right time to call it a career.
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“After the Matt Brown fight and my neck — dude, I was in such a bad place, just physically. I wasn’t sleeping very good, was getting frustrated easily, and then I had that neck surgery. I came back and fought that (Alex) Morono guy, who was real weird; he locked in that arm-in guillotine choke, and I fought out of it. I was a little tentative on stuff, but I was like, ‘Holy cow — I could have put more into this.’
“After that fight was over, I renegotiated for four more knowing that was gonna be it. I didn’t realize it was gonna end up coming in Salt Lake though,” he added with a smile. “I postponed a little bit because I was thinking of fighting one more time. I fought earlier last year and then I could have fought in the spring, but I asked Sean (Shelby) when they were coming back and he said he’d get back to me.
“I told him, ‘If we don’t get something locked in or you don’t know, then I’ll just fight in the spring, finish it out; maybe in Vegas so it’s still a little closer.’ He shot me a message and said, ‘We’re coming in the fall; do you wanna wait?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’
“It worked out good coming back to Salt Lake, start the card off again on the right foot and then ride off into the sunset, as they say.”
Truthfully, that’s what I thought was going to happen the last time UFC touched down in McGee’s home state, and he turned out having a performance that would have made for a tremendous sendoff.
Positioned opposite Tim Means in the first bout of the night at UFC 307, McGee, who had earned each of his last eight wins by decision, rolled into the Octagon and rolled through “The Dirty Bird,” submitting the Albuquerque native in the first round to snap a three-fight skid.
It felt perfect, but as McGee said, he had signed a new four-fight deal coming out of his May 2023 bout against Matt Brown and the veteran is someone who sees things through to the end.
Thank You Court McGee
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Thank You Court McGee
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Now that he’s reached his last contracted assignment, the proud father of three is excited to close out this chapter of his life and dive even deeper into the post-fight career he’s been building on a parallel track for over a decade.
“It’s weird to say this, but it is exciting,” he said of retiring. “A lot of people ask about the retirement, and ask, ‘Does it bother you when people ask what you’re going to do after retirement?’ and it’s like it could have been my last fight after the first fight I had in the UFC, and it’s felt like that for 16 years; that this could be the last fight.
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“I’ve always prepared like it was the last fight, so it’s really no different; it’s just living in the moment, staying in the moment, ebbing and flowing.
“The only thing different with this one is we’re gonna have an afterparty,” McGee said with a laugh, noting that members of the Utah legislature asked to put something together to celebrate the end of his career and spotlight his nonprofit venture focused on speaking with youth and at-risk individuals.
“They’re gonna streamline a silent auction and fundraiser for The McGee Project to kind of lead into the next stage, which will provide speaking engagements for schools and juvenile justice facilities that can’t afford it.
“They made some cool Court McGee T-shirts for guys at the gym,” he added. “I stay in line with the (outfitting policy), but it’s pretty cool.”
McGee is walking away feeling better than he has in years, a decision that may sound counterintuitive until he explains it.
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“I’m so grateful for Chelsea because we really had some long conversations (about this),” he said of his wife and the discussions they had about rounding out his career. “Age-wise, I feel great, but not, ‘I feel great, so let’s keep fighting because it’s lucrative,’ because there are long-term repercussions and I’m more vigilant in looking out for that now.
“I really look at ‘What would I be doing if I was just a hanger-on?’” continued McGee, who has amassed an 11-13 record inside the Octagon which includes wins over a young Robert Whittaker and Ramiz Brahimaj.
“I don’t have anything else to prove. I’m fighting on Saturday because I want to fight. It’s my last contracted fight, but I’m coming to bring ‘The Crusher,’ dude.
“It’s never been that way and I don’t want it to be that way,” he added while discussing he’s not doing this simply to have a farewell moment at home in front of family and friends. “I don’t want it to be ‘this is solely for a paycheck.’ I’ve been through the ups and downs, and I use that experience.
“I don’t look down on this guy because he’s on a two-fight losing streak,” continued the veteran, shifting his attention to Nolan and Saturday’s fight. “I look back to when I was on a two-fight losing streak, and it’s like, ‘Did I come out and not perform?’ No, man — he’s got something to prove too.
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“The best man on Saturday night will win in that 15 minutes. That’s this game and it’s the game I’ve committed to, and I accept all of it.”
Asked for his greatest takeaway after more than 15 years competing at the highest level, McGee pointed to consistency and being able to deal with the ups and downs that inevitably come in this sport, adding that there were too many times where he took himself and his preparation too seriously, which probably ultimately cost him in the end.
As for the advice he’d impart on the next generation, that part was easy.
“If there is an undeniable passion for competing, fighting in MMA, don’t let anybody deter you, positively or negatively,” he said. “You have to know in here (points to heart) and you have to know up here (points to head) and then make sure the group around you are good people.
“The No. 1 way to do that is to be a good person — you being trustworthy, you showing up when nobody wants to show up, you staying late, you offering to be the partner; be all the things that you want and that will attract that.”
McGee is genuinely one of the good ones, and 15 years after getting choked up on Spike TV when he hoisted the Ultimate Fighter plaque aloft and spoke about his desire to be a beacon of hope for those in active recovery or struggling with addiction, he’s ready to bookend his career in similar fashion on Saturday.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a laugh when asked if he expects to get choked up and shed some tears this weekend. “Come in with tears and go out with tears. I guarantee I’m going to get emotional.”
Me too, pal. Congrats on everything.
UFC 332: Silva vs Wang took place live from Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 3, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!