Court McGee's Farewell at UFC 332: Business as Usual, Not a Sendoff

Court McGee is 41 years old and set to fight for the final time at UFC 332 on Saturday night. And if you're expecting a farewell tour full of misty-eyed reflection, McGee has news for you: retirement is barely on his radar.

The veteran told MMA Fighting he understands the sendoff angle is the story everyone wants to write, but he refuses to let it into his head during fight week. There's still a weight cut to make, still rounds to grind through, still a whole list of things that can go sideways before he ever gets to the walkout. Focus on what's in front of you — that's the lesson years in this sport beat into him.

No Grand Gestures

Some fighters headed for the exit talk about leaving it all in the cage or unveiling wild new tricks because there's no tomorrow to worry about. McGee's approach is the opposite. He ran this camp like every other camp: a set structure, structured practices, ideas bounced off coaches and cornermen. The only difference, by his own admission, is what happens after the final horn.

"Business as usual" is how he framed it. McGee said he trained as hard for this one as any fight in his career — brutal conditioning, plenty of rounds, and a room full of teammates hitting their own peaks at the same time.

A Room Full of Fights

That last part is worth sitting with. McGee described a gym in overdrive: eight teammates competed three weeks ago, two more this week. He credited that steady pipeline of live fights for keeping his own preparation sharp, saying the training has been tough because so many people around him are peaking at once.

He'll close out his run on a stacked UFC 332 card topped by the strawweight clash between Wang Cong and Natalia Silva. Whatever happens Saturday, McGee sounds like a man who's made peace with the finish line — he just isn't willing to look at it until the job in front of him is done.