Wushu great Mohammadseifi confirms retirement after injury heartbreak
Iranian wushu veteran Mohsen Mohammadseifi has called time on his illustrious career after an injury setback during national team trials ruled him out of September’s Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
The five-time world sanda champion was hoping for a fitting finale by securing a third Asian Games gold. However, he was forced into a premature retirement following a ligament injury sustained against reigning world champion Erfan Moharrami in the first bout of their best-of-three series in the 70kg weight class on Saturday.
“On the verge of turning 37, I was in the best physical, mental, and emotional condition of my life,” Mohammadseifi wrote in an emotional social media post on Monday.
“Every calorie I consumed was calculated. Every training session was carried out with absolute precision. I fought for every second in pursuit of my goal.
“I was standing in the best version of myself when something happened that had never even crossed my mind. And the final chapter of my life as an athlete – in the sport to which I had devoted my youth – was taken away from me.
“Continuing would have meant putting my health at risk. And so, between relentlessly pushing on – something that had become part of my daily life for many years – and protecting what I had spent a lifetime building, I chose the latter.
“From the outside, it may look like a bitter ending. But for me, this decision is about preserving and honoring all the years shaped by love, pain, tears, pressure, and fighting with every cell in my body.”
Mohammadseifi first tasted Asian Games glory at Guangzhou 2010, then repeated the feat in Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018, before settling for silver at Hangzhou 2022.
Along with his five world gold medals, Mohammadseifi also has two world silvers to his name from the 2009 and 2025 editions.
The Iranian also holds an 8-2 record – including four knockouts – since embarking on a mixed martial arts career in 2019, winning the 2024 PFL MENA Lightweight Tournament in Riyadh.
His last bout as a professional fighter was a decision loss to Mohammad Fahmi at the PFL MENA 3 event last September in the Saudi capital.