UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn describes one fight offer he declined

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MMA Fighting's Dave Meltzer spoke to UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn after the legendary athlete's retirement at age 54 and got Severn to describe one offer he actually turned down.

Dave Meltzer has an end-of-career interview with UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn up at MMA Fighting. Severn who just wrapped up a 100+ fight, 18 year pro MMA career talked about his secret of longevity:

"Through all the stuff I was doing with the Ultimate Fighting Championships, when I started it, I never knew how long it would last," said Severn. "I never looked at this like a career. I took one match at a time. If you told me then that I'd be doing this at 54, I'd say, 'You're freaking nuts.' But it worked out that way. The key is, I haven't been seriously injured, and I haven't been seriously damaged. I've got good health and been smart in my matches, and it let me go out on my own terms."

Severn also talked about the way he handled his business during his peripatetic career and one fight offer he actually turned down:

"Companies were contacting me from all over the place. I had a pager. I'd get calls and have to be ready with 24 hours notice to get to the airport, to a destination I'd just find out about, transported to a location to be determined, against an opponent I just found out, with a purse I just found out. They were almost all an underground type of thing.

"Once, I had an opportunity to fight in Mexico. It was in a cockfighting pit. The idea of the show was to start with rooster fights, then do dog fights, and finish as the main event with human beings. This organization wanted no rules at all, and you could wear jeans and cowboy boots. I turned that one down. I thought, 'I may win, but I may not get out alive.'"

Read the whole thing.