UFC star Rory MacDonald announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on Sunday, posting to Instagram that his “time has come to put the gloves down for good.”
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The 33-year-old welterweight champion’s retirement comes a day after being defeated in the semifinals of the Professional Fighters League welterweight playoffs to Dilano Taylor by way of a first-round technical knockout.
You’ve Got Mail Courtesy of @PostmanTaylor 📧📪#PFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XoGKMKJpbu
— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 13, 2022
According to ESPN, MacDonald finishes his career with a 23-10-1 record overall. In his 17 years of fighting professionally, the Canada native fought for UFC, Bellator, and PFL. Throughout his career, he defeated some notable names in mixed martial arts such as Nate Diaz, BJ Penn, and Tyron Woodley. MacDonald defeated all three by unanimous decision. (RELATED: Enes Freedom Shares Conversation With Assistant Coach Who Says He Was Shamed For Political Views)
His most notable fight occurred in July 2015, where he challenged Robbie Lawler for the UFC championship. Despite losing the bout, their fight for the title was considered to be the greatest fight of all time by fans.
Despite losing badly in his final match, MacDonald had a remarkable run in the sport.