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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Longtime Japanese MMA veteran Shinya Aoki has reportedly been contemplating retirement following an embarrassing loss at FEG's Dynamite!! 2010 on New Year's Eve.
According to Daniel Herbertson at MMAFighting.com, sources close to Aoki have suggested that he considered retirement following his knockout loss to Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima. The bout, a ridiculous mixed rules bout featuring a K-1 round and an MMA round, saw Aoki make a mockery of the kick-boxing rules round before eating a knee at the outset of the MMA round that knocked him out cold.
Aoki subsequently deleted his Twitter account after mounting harassment from Nagashima fans. According to Herbertson, Aoki has expressed a desire to focus on training at the DEEP official gym. The DREAM Lightweight Champion and one time Strikeforce Lightweight Title challenger holds a 26-5 record with one no contest in seven years of MMA competition.
Penick's Analysis: Herbertson believes Aoki will be back again, and I'd definitely have to agree with him. A lot of fighters have issues with losing; it's part of the competitive nature to react badly to decisive defeat. But once that feeling wears off, he'll get back into training and that competitive fire won't let him sit on the sidelines. It's why so many people come back and why it's so hard for fighters to walk away from the sport. Aoki's a fighter, and he'll likely return to the ring in 2011.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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