Leonardo Santos announces retirement from MMA: ‘I’m feeling this is the right moment to stop’
Leonardo Santos has announced his retirement from MMA following his UFC 278 loss to Jared Gordon.
Santos began his pro MMA career in 2002 when he lost to Takanori Gomi by decision. The Brazilian then went 1-1 over his next two before going on a run and ultimately ending up on TUF Brazil 2, which he won at welterweight as he beat William Macario to win the tournament.
The 42-year-old had a ton of success early on but after losing three fights in a row, Santos took to Instagram to announce his retirement from MMA.
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“A topic that felt so distance for me is now present in my life. One of the toughest decisions in an athlete’s life is to decide the right moment to retire. Talking about MMA is not just the three or five rounds where he has to face the bright lights and the interviews, it’s about our daily habits, the time with our families and the choices we make for our lifestyles,” Santos wrote on Instagram. “There’s no half-athlete. You’re either 100 percent in or you’re out. I was 100 percent in as of yesterday. You’ve probably understood by know and you’re correct, I’m retiring. Not because I don’t love the sport anymore. I love martial arts and always will. However, I’m feeling this is the right moment to stop. I look back and see what I’ve accomplished in many years of my career and it wasn’t little. I got where every fighter wants to be, the world’s biggest promotion, the UFC! But I must look ahead. Thank God I have nothing left to prove to anyone.
“This is my decision. I always wanted it to be on my terms and not imposed by others,” Santos continued. “It’s the decision I made to live from now on. And it certainly won’t come without reservations, memories and thoughts, at least a bit of every single one of those elements, because I will definitely miss all of this, the events, all this atmosphere, and camps, everything and all related to this, related to my career.”
In the UFC, Leonardo Santos had notable wins over Kevin Lee, Anthony Rocco Martin, Adriano Martins, and Stevie Ray. He ended his career losing three straight to Jared Gordon by decision, Clay Guida by submission, and was knocked out by Grant Dawson.
