Long-time UFC featherweight fan favorite Julian Erosa explained why he made the decision to retire from mixed martial arts.
Erosa laid down his gloves in the center of the Octagon following his first-round KO win over JeongYeong Lee at UFC Vegas 123, as he officially retired from the UFC with a final record of 10-9 inside the Octagon.
Erosa had already announced before the fight that he was going to retire, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him hang up his gloves despite a terrific performance against Lee.
So, why is Erosa retiring when he is seemingly still a UFC-caliber fighter?
Julian Erosa Breaks Down Retirement Decision
Speaking to reporters after UFC Vegas 123, Erosa broke down his decision to retire from MMA.
“I was going back and forth in my mind: If I win the fight, I’m going to want to do it again because it’s the best feeling in the world. If I lose the fight, I’m going to want redemption. Win, lose or draw, I’m going to want to come back in here. So before I even got the fight, I told my wife, ‘This is going to be the last one,’ and be content with that decision. Once I was at ease with it and at peace with that decision, I could just go in the fight and just focus on it being a fight just like any other fight camp – focus on that and then be, I’m already happy with the decision of retiring. I didn’t want to be the guy that’s going to retire and then come back in a month. I’m happy with the way it turned out. I haven’t left any stone unturned. I made it from ‘Ultimate Fighter’ to Contender Series, been cut and rehired by the UFC so many times – I want to go out on my own terms,” Erosa said (via MMAjunkie.com).
Will Julian Erosa Compete Again?
While Erosa did announce his retirement, it’s hard to take MMA fighters’ retirements at face value sometimes, as so many of them have hung up their gloves just to return a few years later.
In Erosa’s case, it does feel like he’s done for good, as he has a young family to spend his time with. Not only that, but he was knocked out eight times in his career, so it is a smart decision to stop getting hit in the head anymore.
Julian Erosa Explains Retiring From UFC