Three-fight UFC veteran Tom Duqesnoy, 25, announces MMA retirement

A few weeks shy of his 26th birthday, Tom Duquesnoy on Sunday announced he’s retiring from fighting.

In a post on his Instagram account, the Frenchman said he has decided to take his career in a different direction, and that direction won’t allow him to devote his full energy to training.

“I respect the sport too well to practice it halfway and that’s why I’m at a crossroads where it is essential for me to focus on what I am passionate about most,” Duquesnoy posted in his native French (via Google Translate). “It is also the result of a long introspection that was not obvious since it was my childhood dream to fight at the UFC. … This decision is good for me and comes from the heart. So I’m telling you about my official retirement as a professional MMA fighter.”

View this post on Instagram

Chers amis, Le MMA a été pour moi l’école de la vie avec des voyages et des rencontres à travers le monde, et surtout, l’opportunité de me découvrir en tant que personne. Aujourd’hui je décide de prendre une autre direction qui m’attire beaucoup plus et qui me prends une part importante de mon énergie. Ce qui fait que je ne vais plus me consacrer aux entrainements de haut niveau. Je ne respecte que trop bien ce sport pour le pratiquer à moitié et c’est pour cela que je suis à une croisée des chemins où il est essentiel pour moi de me concentrer sur ce qui me passionne le plus. C’est aussi le fruit d’une longue introspection qui n’a pas été évidente puisque c’était mon rêve d’enfant de combattre à l’UFC, moi qui regardais les combats depuis l’âge de douze ans et qui avais tout mis à profit ces dix dernières années afin que ce rêve se concrétise. Cette décision est la bonne pour moi et vient du fond du coeur. Je vous fais donc part de ma retraite officielle en tant que combattant professionnel de MMA. C’est un nouveau chapitre de vie consacré comme vous le savez, à l’enseignement des techniques de MMA mais SURTOUT, à l’aspect spirituel des arts martiaux mixtes et la quête intérieure. Et c’est sur ce chemin que vous êtes tous les BIENVENUS et je vous invite à suivre la suite de mon histoire. Une suite où nous serons amener à nous rencontrer plus que jamais. J’en profite pour REMERCIER du fond du COEUR toutes les personnes, et elles sont nombreuses, à avoir apporté leur lumière sur mon chemin, à avoir rendu ce voyage si dense en enseignements et en valeurs humaines. Merci à toutes et à tous 💙

A post shared by Tom Duquesnoy (@tomfirekid) on May 12, 2019 at 8:54am PDT

Duquesnoy (16-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who has been fighting out of the JacksonWink MMA team in Albuquerque, N.M., started his pro career 14-1 in fights throughout Europe. In 2014, in his 10th pro fight, he won BAMMA’s featherweight title. He defended that belt twice, then dropped to bantamweight and won BAMMA’s title in that division, as well.

After one defense of the BAMMA 135-pound belt, he signed with the UFC in 2017 and made his promotional debut at UFC on FOX 24 with a second-round TKO win over Patrick Williams. Later that year, he suffered his first loss in four and a half years when Cody Stamann took a split call from him at UFC 216 in Las Vegas.

But in March 2018, he bounced back with a decision win over Terrion Ware at UFC Fight Night 127 in London. That turned out to be his final fight. He was scheduled to return at UFC 228 this past December against Nathaniel Wood, but a rib injury knocked him out of the fight.

All told, the “Fire Kid” wound up with 12 of his 16 career wins by finish, including eight knockouts. The only two losses of his career came to Stamann in the UFC and Makwan Amirkhani in 2013 in his fifth pro fight – the only time he was finished. Amirkhani was in the UFC less than two years later.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.