Denmark’s Anna ‘Panda’ Elmose had her first amateur fight in March of 2014. Her next fight, in November, was pro. She won two more, and was signed by the UFC.
Bad news, her first fight in the big league was vs. ferocious kickboxer Germaine de Randamie at UFC Fight Night 87 on May 8, 2016. A knee to the body KOed Elmose in the first. She then lost a decision to Amanda Cooper at UFC Fight Night 99 on November 19.
UFC president Dana White has long held that if you feel ambiguity about fighting, then it isn’t for you. And Elmose lost the hunger early.
She made the explanation via Instagram.
“I’m retiring as a fighter. I’ve understood, that I no longer have the necessary desire, will to win or hunger to compete.
I have no excuses for my performance against Amanda Cooper. I’ve never been in better shape, I had awesome sparring and the weight cut went according to plan. I simply couldn’t get my pulse up, didn’t feel any kind of adrenalin rush and basically felt content.
When I entered the Octagon in Belfast, I didn’t get any kind of buzz at all. I just felt flat, and it was weird to experience, because I didn’t understand it at first. But when I knocked my opponent down, and I didn’t get the rush to finish the fight, as I usually do, I knew that my edge and desire simply was gone.
I honestly had no idea until the fight, that I have lost my “fighter heart”, and I really didn’t see it coming. I apologize to all I’ve let down, but I don’t have it in me anymore.
I live a very good life now, and I’ve realized, that I don’t have anything to fight for anymore. At the age of 32, other aspects of life now make more sense to me, but I don’t regret a thing.
I’d like to thank the UFC for giving me the chance to perform at the biggest stage in Martial Arts, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. What an adventure it has been!
Intensiti Fighter Management gave me dreamlike opportunities, and I’ll always be grateful for their treatment of me as an athlete. I can’t praise my management enough.
The team at Rumble Sports took me from being a chubby hobby-kickboxer to an elite MMA-fighter in only three years.
Thank you to everyone, who helped shape me as a fighter.
The panda is no longer endangered and it’s time for new dreams and adventures.
