Meet the former UFC star who blew career with drug addiction – now he’s helping fighters avoid same fate
Ian McCall says his retirement from MMA left him feeling like he’d been dropped ‘in a proverbial gutter.’
McCall quit the sport in 2018 after a brutal ending to his final fight in Japan, where he was knocked out by Kyoji Horiguchi in nine seconds, forcing him to confront the loss of a life he believed he had squandered.
Rise and fall
He had fought professionally for 16 years, debuting in the UFC in 2012 with a majority draw against future flyweight great Demetrious Johnson, but suddenly lost it all.
“I went from superstardom – showing up to places and girls are crying because I’m there – to completely f***ing it all off,” McCall told talkSPORT.com.
“It was what I always wanted in my life, as a kid, I said, ‘I’m going to become a world champion one day.
“I had it all at my fingertips and I squandered it all.”
Ian McCall's UFC record
13-5-1 as a professional
L – John Lineker via unanimous decision at UFC 183 in January 2015
W – Brad Pickett via unanimous decision at UFC Dublin in July 2014
W – Iliarde Santos via unanimous decision at UFC 163 in August 2013
L – Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision at UFC 156 in February 2013
L – Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision at UFC Florida in June 2012
D – Demetrious Johnson via majority decision at UFC Sydney in March 2012
Turning point
For McCall, the emotional fallout after retirement was severe.
The former world No. 1 flyweight described how drug addiction left him with a decision, debating suicidal thoughts with how to get better.
Thankfully, experiences within his own family helped him make the right one.
When his then two-year-old daughter became seriously ill, McCall and his family explored natural remedies to support her recovery.
Describing his thought process at the time, McCall modestly claimed he always felt he had a ‘larger intellect’ than most fighters, on top of a very broad understanding of science.
The experience with his daughter deepened his interest in alternative healing and human performance, and eventually led to what McCall is actively pursuing today.
Reinvention
After working in venture capital, which was a job he says left him miserable, McCall founded the non-profit organisation Athletes Journey Home.
He is using his own journey with Ibogaine therapy at Beond, a treatment centre in Cancun, which helped him overcome addiction and traumatic brain injury (TBI), to help athletes navigate identity loss and addiction.
The ex-UFC fighter’s understanding of his daughter’s illness and human performance has allowed him to help high-performance individuals seeking healing.
He’s also been guided by prominent names in the MMA world, including Joe Rogan, who helped him understand how psychedelics work in the body.
“I ran with the ball and it worked,” McCall, who has brought the non-profit to the US, UK and Canada, added.
“All to push the boundaries of bringing athletes from all over the world to different organisations or different retreat centres around the world.”
A different ecosystem
One thing to note, McCall doesn’t blame the UFC for any of his struggles.
His addictions started from a young age and being a fighter encouraged him to live the lavish lifestyle of a modern gladiator in the early 2000s.
“We were compared to porn stars and we hung out with gangsters… We were surrounded by Hells Angels as our bodyguards,” McCall said.
“It was a dark time, where it was cool to just be a rock star and party and sleep with every woman you could and do every drug you could.
“And when a fight came, you took the fight no matter what, but it was just this weird duality that wasn’t healthy at all.
“Kids these days are much more centred. It’s cool to be healthy. Drugs are not cool. Partying is not cool. Sleeping around is not cool.
“And I’m sure some people do all these things, but not like we used to – it’s a different ecosystem.”
McCall made his UFC debut in March 2012, competing in the promotion’s flyweight four-man tournament to help narrow down the inaugural champion.
After contesting a Fight of the Night draw with Johnson, he had a rematch with ‘Mighty Mouse’ to see who would progress to fight for the new division’s title.
McCall took the draw badly, admitting it felt like a loss, so he got more addicted and did more pills than he was already on at the time.
He then came back for the rematch significantly underprepared and lost a unanimous decision to Johnson in Florida three months after their first meeting.
The future
“I don’t want to see anyone go down the route I did,” McCall concluded, reflecting on how his career spiralled out of control.
McCall only fought six more times professionally after losing to Johnson, trading two wins and defeats in the UFC before signing with Japanese promotion Rizin.
“This is what we need in this world,” he concluded.
“There are a lot of scams out there. There are a lot of s****y people that’ll be in your life that want to take advantage of you.
“As a coach, I make sure I’m on these boys every day. Preaching scripture, reading philosophy, making sure everyone is going to church, being a good human and taking care of their families and training every day.
“We have to do a better job at managing these people because these are boys.
“I’m really excited to now finally have athletes on my own that I can mentor and push through life.
“We can win the world titles that I never did, cause a UFC belt should have been around my waist for a long time.
“I wasn’t able to achieve that and it still hurts me a little bit, obviously.”
Beond has conducted over 6,000 medically supervised ibogaine sessions.
The treatment centre helped McCall overcome addiction and even break a dependence on ketamine, a growing and underreported trend among high-performance individuals seeking healing.
McCall is now trying his best to provide the same help to the younger generation.
To read more, visit Beond’s website here.
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