F. Perez (photo) only had two fights in Ultimate. Photo: Jeff Bottari/UFC
It's not very common to see a perfectly healthy fighter retire from MMA at 26 years old. Even more unusual is seeing him do it right after the biggest win of his career. But that's exactly what American Frankie Perez did.
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On Sunday night (23), right after beating the Canadian veteran Sam stout by knockout in the fight that closed the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 74, in Saskatoon, Canada, Perez surprised everyone and announced that, quite prematurely, his professional career in mixed martial arts was coming to an end.
“It’s because of my family. I've dedicated my life to this sport since I was 17, and now I'm 26. I've never taken a year off, or even a short break. I have been fighting non-stop since I was 17 years old. I'm ready for the next chapter. I want to open a school, find a girl and have some babies”, said the fighter.
Despite the end of his career in the octagon, the “Ricardo Almeida BJJ” athlete said he will still continue training, especially to help his teammates, such as Frankie Edgar and the Brazilian Edson Barboza. “I will still train to help my teammates. I will help the Edson Barboza to win the lightweight title and help the Frankie Edgar to get the featherweight title”, he guaranteed.
Frankie Perez ends his career in professional MMA with a record of 10 wins and only two losses. The New Jersey athlete only had two fights in the UFC, both in 2015, and, in addition to the victory over Stout, he had a loss to Johnny Case in January.
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