No more comebacks, insists MMA ace Rodney

The Ballymena-based MMA coach came out of retirement to defeat Alex Reid at a packed Odyssey Arena on Saturday night - but he has closed the door firmly on any possible future bouts.

“That’s definitely me now - I’m officially retired!” smiled Moore, who will focus on training the next generation of fighters at his IMMA gym in the town.

“I didn’t think after I retired in 2012 that I would fight again but taking on Alex and headlining a show at the Odyssey were two things that I had wanted to do.

“I’ve known Alex from the circuit for about 15 years and he’s a good guy - he came and joined me and my friends at my hotel after the show on Saturday night.

“He was an awkward, crafty opponent but he said himself that I deserved to win so fair play to him.”

Rodney paid tribute to the massive support from Ballymena who had gone to the Odyssey to cheer on him and his club members.

“The noise was incredible - I watched footage of my ring entrance over the weekend and you could barely hear the MC speaking.

“There were more than 1,200 tickets for the show sold from our gym alone, never mind those who had got them from other places so to have support like that from your home town is overwhelming,” added Rodney.

* See page 43 for a picture special on the Ballymena fighters at the Odyssey.