‘OC’ made good on his vow: After banking $1M following his last fight, the MMA fighter is retiring as a champ. Now he wants to donate his brain to science

At 35, Sean O’Connell is done fighting. And as much as he loves it, he knows the punches would eventually take their toll.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former Utah football player Sean O'Connell turned MMA fighter, recently won $1 million for his career-altering and career-ending fight on New Year's Eve. "OC," who also works for Sirius XM radio, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts citing concerns about long-term brain injuries. OC is newly-married and is expecting his first child with his wife.

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Christopher KamraniSports enterprise writer

Since joining the Tribune in 2012, Chris has covered prep sports, Major League Soccer, the Pac-12 Conference and the last two Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Pyeongchang, South Korea. If you have an idea for a unique sports story, email him at <a href="mailto:ckamrani@sltrib.com">ckamrani@sltrib.com</a>.