Jon Fitch has decided to hang up the gloves for good.
This past Saturday, the 42-year-old fought Neiman Gracie in the co-main event and Fitch came out on the losing end thanks to a second-round heel hook. Following the match, the former UFC star announced his retirement and then went into detail during the press conference over why he chose to walk away from the sport.
Fitch revealed that he still loves fighting; however, time has certainly caught up with the veteran and he feels that now was the right call to end his in-ring career (transcript courtesy of Sherdog):
"I had a lot of fun, but at the same time, the body doesn't react the way I want it to anymore. The recovery's not quite the same," Fitch said. "I don't want to go down a dirty road, so I think it's a great time. 32-8-2-1, it's pretty good. I've got the titles I've won. Neiman is a great fighter and a great guy and a total class act, I hope he keeps moving forward and hopefully becomes the champ. That would be great."
Fitch added that overall, "it was a good, good run," before speaking about the most significant moments in his career.
"[The] two biggest moments were the Georges St. Pierre fight, and when I got to fight in Brazil, just because all everything around those fights, the build-up, the experiences, it was all awesome," he confessed. "The [World Series of Fighting] final title fight was amazing. Jake Shields and Madison Square Garden was amazing. It's a list of hits."
The welterweight started his professional career in 2002, but Fitch gained notoriety thanks to his UFC performances when he came over to the company in 2005. Fitch fought George’s St-Pierre at UFC 87, and though the veteran gave the then welterweight champion a run for his money, St-Pierre walked away victorious.
Since then, Fitch never got another opportunity at a UFC belt, though the fighter did gain impressive wins until his release in 2013. Fitch continued fighting and actually won the WSOF Welterweight Championship before making the transition over to Bellator MMA last year. Fitch ends his career with a record of 32 wins, 8 losses, and 2 no contests.