Eryk Anders | 'I'm Just Focused'

“Everything has a price. After the last one, we'll see what the money looks like and if it's worth it, then I'll keep going. If not…”

Then we’ve seen the last of Anders in the Octagon. If that’s the case, then he’s had a good run, but don’t expect him to be sentimental as he gets ready for a potential exit from the sport that has filled his life since his days on the football gridiron were over. There’s work to be done and a fight to be fought this weekend in Las Vegas.

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“Maybe after the fight I'll be like, damn, I got one more left,” he said. “But, right now, I'm just focused on Duncan and going out there getting this win because that's the most important thing right now. And then everything else I can worry about after.”

A lot of fighters you do worry about once their time in the ring or Octagon is over. Anders isn’t one of them. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s a businessman and he’s seen what happens when fighters stick around too long.

“I really like the idea of retiring on my terms rather than when my body says it's time,” said Anders. “There's only a handful of athletes like Barry Sanders or Calvin Johnson that retired when they wanted to retire. You look at guys like Roy Jones and, honestly, he's one of the best boxers ever, but he just fought too long. So, the new generation, they only know him as getting knocked out or losing fights. They don't know that he used to walk out to his own rap song about beating people up and then his showboating and things like that. So I'd like to go out on top with a couple wins in a row, and I'm cool with it. That'll put me at 20 fights and I think that's another milestone to retire on.”

Anders makes it sound easy, but it’s not, at least for many of his peers. You can’t replace the roar of the crowd, the competition, the fame, and yeah, the money that was made as a pro athlete. Anders loves the competition, appreciates the roar of the crowd, and I’m guessing he could probably do without the fame. As for the money, he’s already been preparing for that part of life after fighting. 

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“I think that a lot of fighters or athletes, their sport is their identity, and they probably don't have a backup plan or a Plan B,” Anders said. “So it's like their only source of income or far and away their main source of income. Me, I'm getting things set up now, and I have money coming in whenever I'm done. And in September, I'll have my gym opened up, so I got my fallback plan already, and then I'll still have another fight after that.”

He's even entered the management end of things, as he’s helping nearly two dozen fighters with their careers. Yeah, Eryk Anders doesn’t need any retirement advice; he seems to have it all figured out. And that’s not just a good thing; it’s a great thing.

“I'm very ambitious,” he said. “And I always want to keep moving forward and find the next big thing. Everything has a shelf life and a timeline. I couldn't play football forever. I can't fight forever. So it's in my best interest to keep evolving and find something else to do so that when that time comes, I'm ready for it, one, and two, I can make a living doing it. So I don't ever want to pass up or not be ready for an opportunity. I think that's a big mistake that people make. They're not ready for their opportunity, so they'll let itpass them by for whatever reason. I don't ever want to be in that position.”

No, the position Anders wants to be in is one he told me about a couple years ago: sitting on his couch and only getting up to get the checks from the mailbox. 

“We'll get there,” he laughs. “Give me 10 years.”