{"id":361187,"date":"2020-09-13T07:44:40","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T14:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=361187"},"modified":"2020-09-13T07:45:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T14:45:14","slug":"former-ufc-title-challenger-wsof-champ-jon-fitch-announces-retirement-after-bellator-246-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/bellator\/former-ufc-title-challenger-wsof-champ-jon-fitch-announces-retirement-after-bellator-246-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Former UFC title challenger, WSOF champ Jon Fitch announces retirement after Bellator 246 loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former UFC welterweight title challenger and World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Jon Fitch has retired from MMA.<\/p>\n

Fitch, 42, competed in his final fight at Bellator 246 on Saturday, losing to Neiman Gracie by submission. Post-fight, he announced his decision to hang up the gloves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m having fun, but at the same time, the body doesn\u2019t react the way I want it to anymore, the recovery\u2019s not quite the same,\u201d Fitch told MMA Junkie<\/a> after the fight. \u201cI don\u2019t want to go down a dirty road, so I think it\u2019s a great time, 32-8-2-1, pretty good, I\u2019ve got titles I\u2019ve won, Neiman\u2019s a great fighter and a great guy and a total class act, I hope he keeps continuing to improve and becomes the champ, that would be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

After announcing retirement, Fitch recounted some of the best moments of his career, highlighting his UFC welterweight title fight with Georges St-Pierre<\/a>, his Fight of the Night-winning victory over Erick Silva in Brazil, and his World Series of Fighting title win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two biggest moments were the GSP fight and when I got to fight in Brazil, just because of the whole, everything around those fights, the buildup, the title fight, everything was amazing,\u201d said Fitch, who never missed weight in his 18-year career. \u201cThe World Series of Fighting title fight, fighting Jake Shields in Madison Square Garden, that fight was amazing, just a list of hits.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Last time making the walk. Most will never know the feeling. I will cherish these memories forever. This won\u2019t be the last time you see me. Just the last time you see me fighting another grown man in my underwear.<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Jon Fitch<\/a> (@jonfitchsmash) on