Court McGee isn’t ready to call it a day

“No,” McGee says sharply, immediately laughing when I ask my longtime friend if Saturday’s trip to the Octagon will be his last. “I have three more in my contract so my intention is to complete the contract.

“Here’s the thing,” he continues, setting the stage for what our shared story tells me: a detailed explanation of how he came to his decision to move on, not just during that fight, but through the end of his contract . “I had my neck repaired about six months before the last fight with Alex Morono.”

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The long-time welterweight tells how he asked the doctor a series of questions about aches and pains he had been dealing with over the past few years, all of which he believed were related to his neck problems, and the doctor confirmed that one would take care of it and remedy it almost completely.

When he asked if he could return to competition, he was given a six-month deadline and the news sparked a spark in McGee.

“I didn’t know if he was going to say that or not, so I was elated because my contract called for one more fight, so I thought, ‘I’m going to finish this fight,'” he explains. “When I signed this fight I didn’t know how good I would feel.

“I hadn’t felt this good in years and was a little worried, but I hadn’t made it to the second round in two fights. I had to make 17 decisions in a row, so I’m used to fighting for 15 minutes, and now all of a sudden I’m like, “I want to make it to the second round.” I make it to the second round and I’m like, “Holy shit! ” I am here! Let’s go!’ The fight ended, it was close but I had so much confidence.

“So I renegotiated and that Morono fight was my first fight in a four-fight deal,” adds McGee, who earned a unanimous decision win in his only previous appearance in the Utah capital in 2016. “When I found out they were coming to Salt Lake, I thought, ‘Take me on this map!’ and they said, ‘Okay; looking for an opponent.’ He texted me and said, ‘I have Tim Means’ and that’s a great fight.”

From a matchup standpoint, Means makes a lot of sense as a dance partner for McGee, as the two are at a similar point in their lives and careers.

Saturday marks Means’ 52nd professional appearance, and “The Dirty Bird” turns 41 in February. Like McGee, he has struggled recently, suffering a first-round loss in his last outing in April and entering the race with a 1-4 mark compared to his last five appearances.