UFC middleweight Ian Heinisch is stepping away from MMA after experiencing repeated issues with head trauma and concussion-like symptoms.
Heinisch, 34, announced his decision Thursday on Instagram. He revealed that a variety of health problems led him to his current state, beginning with skin issues that led to an overprescription of antibiotics, which then resulted in a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Heinisch said his stomach was “completely wrecked” at that time and he had blood in his stool for more than a year. Around then, he also was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid, which Heinisch said caused him to become “severely anemic” and flared up before at least one of his UFC fights.
Heinisch said he was eventually able to retake control of his health with the help of doctors and his wife, who is a nurse. But then things took a turn for the worse.
“I received a few concussions in my amateur and pro career, nothing too bad. I felt like it was pretty normal, but then I got one really bad concussion, [I] came back way too early, felt some residual effects of that. And I’ve been dealing with this,” Heinisch said. “And after my last fight, after my last loss, I came back to training about a month after, took a head kick, got dropped, didn’t get knocked out or nothing but these side effects were terrible. I felt like I was walking on a boat. I felt like my brain was disconnected from my head. The emotions that were running through me were so crazy and I thought my career was over.”
Heinisch suffered the first and only knockout loss of his career in his most recent UFC appearance, a July 2021 second-round stoppage at the hands of Nassourdine Imavov.
Heinisch said he sought a variety of different treatments to help the worsening state of his brain, including a procedure in Mexico that implanted stem cells into his brainstem. He also became a regular patient at the McWhorter Chiropractic & Neurological Rehabilitation facility in Denver, but no matter what he tried, his issues kept reemerging in the gym.
“Everything you can do, I was trying to do,” Heinisch said. “And I would even take a week trip just to Colorado just to do treatment — three treatments, two treatments a day, just in there for four hours and then come back. I would feel better. But I decided the last couple of weeks, the last couple of months, I went back to Colorado, I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to train in Colorado, even though I live in Florida, because I’ll be close to that treatment center.’ After doing my second round of stem cells in Mexico, I felt a lot better. I had hope. I was off my thyroid medication for the first time in a couple of years, which was, I felt hope. I said I’m going to go back. And man, I tried. I tried so hard.
“First couple of weeks went really good. Third week, got hit with a knee in sparring that just, for days, I would feel like if I turned my head, I would fall over. Equilibrium was off. It would mess with my emotions and just my character and everything. And so I took a step back, came back to Florida, and I said let’s go one more week, and I gave it one more shot. My mind just has been playing tricks on me for the past year. I would feel good and this voice would be like, ‘Why are you not training? You have to fight?’ I would get back into training, I’d train hard — bam, I’d get hit. I would hate fighting. I would hate my life.
“All I would want to feel is normal,” Heinisch continued. “So I went back to this last time, and yeah, a couple of weeks in, I was messed up again. So I’m making a decision right now to take a step back, get out of the USADA pool, do some peptides and some other treatments, and heal. That’s what I’m trying to do right now. It’s tough, but it’s been a long journey, and I’ve got to do this right now. I can’t keep making my head worse. I know I can’t. I’ve already made it pretty bad.”
A professional fighter since 2015, Heinish has accumulated a 14-5 record in MMA. He became a top-15 ranked middleweight in the UFC after debuting with the organization in 2018 with back-to-back victories over Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Junior. But Heinish has since struggled to replicate those results, dropping four of his past five UFC bouts, including losses to veteran contenders Derek Brunson and Kelvin Gastelum.
“I’m not closing the book on MMA,” Heinisch said. “I’m not giving up. But I have to take a step back right now and heal. My family and my support system, my coaches, all the coaches that have made even a small impact or a long impact, I appreciate you guys. Teammates, you guys are awesome. And just just some advice for upcoming fighters, young fighters, just, if you get flashed, that’s one thing. But if you guys ever receive concussions where you feel symptoms, don’t let anybody push you into having to spar or go live at anything. Take that step back.
“Let your mind and your brain heal, because your brain can heal. But if you don’t let it heal, you’re going to end up in a situation that I’m in. And that was a huge part of it. So young fighters, man, just remember you’ve got one career. It’s your career. You pay coaches and management, and strength and conditioning, to advise you. But remember, you’re the CEO of your business. You’ve got one business. Don’t leave this sport with any regret or resentment towards anyone. You need to make the final decision.
“You pay these people to advise you on choices that benefits you, and if you’re not good at making decisions, make sure the person who makes those decisions is not motivated by your anything else besides your well-being, like money or greed or whatever it may be.”
Heinisch’s full post can be watched below.