Former fighter nixes retirement stint to fund political campaign

Retirement is a difficult commitment for most MMA fighters. While the reasons vary drastically, a significant portion of fighters who cut their retirements short do so out of financial urgency. Adam Townsend is no exception, though plans to spend his earnings on his upcoming political campaign.

The 17-4 fighter, who retired less than three months ago in June, is currently a candidate for Register of Deeds in Carter County, Tennessee. According to the Carter County government website, the Register of Deeds is elected to a four-year term and his/her primary function is to “make and preserve a record of instruments required or allowed by law to be filed or recorded.”

As a result of Townsend’s decision to transition to a career in public office, the former fighter had to finance a full-fledged political campaign. This led Townsend to to the decision to raise money through a return to fighting.

“This campaign is going to be a chance to show everyone that I am willing to put in the hard work that the voters deserve,” Townsend told Bluegrassmma.com. “I can use this fight as means to raise money to help get my message out that I am qualified and willing to work for the people. It’s not just about the money but it is a way for me to help further the goals I have set moving forward.”

Townsend is scheduled to compete on the ACB 70 fight card, which takes place on September 23rd in Sheffield, England. This will mark the second time that Townsend attempts to debut for the Chechen-based promotion. Ahead of his last scheduled fight for ACB last June, Townsend missed weight and was left without an opponent, a situation that prompted his unexpected retirement.

This time around, the Townsend will come up against Husein Kushagov in a welterweight bout. It remains unclear whether the American plans to take more fights following his ACB debut.