World's Oldest MMA Fighter to Retire

The man believed to be the world's oldest professional mixed martial artist is going to retire. On March 22, in Irondale, Alabama Skip Hall will face Kelly Don Rundle in his final contest.

Hall, a modest man, told NBC Sports he doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about:

“I feel blessed and fortunate. And quite frankly it's very humbling. I'm not very deserving of attention. I feel like I'm doing something I love. I'm an average fighter. I just happen to be old.

But there's other things I need to do, and want to do. I'll still stay involved with the sport, but when it comes to fighting, it's time. It's been good but it sure occupied a tremendous amount of my personal time.

I've always said it's kind of a strange thing, but some of my best friends around the world are people that have hit me in the face."

Keeping in shape has never been a problem for Hall. He started training at nine years old and turned himself into a golden gloves boxer. He was a Special Forces soldier who served tours in Vietnam, Korea and the Philippines. Along the way, he learned tae kwon do and hapkido. He got into kickboxing, then won awards in powerlifting. He started experimenting with what is now known as MMA long before the UFC came into existence. He told NBC Sports:

"We had a school and were teaching cross-training. And is there a better way to find out if the stuff you teach works than by doing it yourself? A lot of martial arts disciplines are in a very clinical environment, and you never get to use them."

Hall’s retirement means that the holder of the title - oldest active MMA fighter probably passes to the former UFC champ Dan Severn. Severn has this to say about Hall:

"He's a great man and such a good role model. Just get out there and be active. Some people whine and moan about getting older, but he stays active. People tell me all the time that I'm an inspiration to them. I'm sure it's the same for Skip."

The two men have fought in the past. In August 2006, the pair clashed at Jasper City Slugfest 3. Severn won the contest- submitting Hall with a Neck Crank. Although he was born in 1954 - Dan "The Beast" Severn shows no sign of slowing down. The former wrestler was one of the stars of the early UFC tournaments. Severn first appeared in UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors in 1994. He took the UFC title at UFC 5: The Return of the Beast.

Despite having over one hundred contests to his name - Dan Severn shows no sign of slowing down. He recently travelled to the Kings Hall, Belfast to take part in Cage Wars: Max Staredown. Matched against UFC star Colin Robinson - “The Beast” won the contest via a unanimous judge decision. Severn continued his winning streak and went the distance against a top UK Heavyweight. On that form - it looks like he will carry on and beat Skip Hall's longevity record.