Frankie Edgar has retired from MMA after being brutally knocked out at Madison Square Garden by up-and-comer Chris Gutierrez.
The legendary former lightweight champion had been planning to hang up his gloves regardless of the result at UFC 281 in New York. And he was handed yet another knockout loss in the first round by way of flying knee from Gutierrez, who will surely have landed himself in the rankings with the victory.
Edgar stepped into the octagon looking in solid shape at bantamweight, but couldn't get much off before being viciously put away by Gutierrez, who is a decade his junior. At 41-years-old, he was competing after suffering five losses in his previous seven fights, including four knockouts and a particularly vicious pair in his last two.
Fans were in full voice to support the New Jersey native, and were left in a stunned silence after he attempted to shoot for a takedown and was caught flush with a flying knee. Luckily, he was able to recover enough to thank the supporters in a post-fight interview, declaring his love for the sport and expressing his frustration at how it went.
"I love this sport," he said. "I didn't want to go out like that but this sport's a b****. I've got my family here and that's all that matters. Congrats to Chris, this sport is unforgiving. I love everybody, you guys made this awesome."
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Edgar has previously stated that the only thing that could tempt him back into competition after UFC 281 would be an exhibition boxing match with the likes of Manny Pacquiao. But after yet another brutal loss, he likely won't be back in action at any time in the future as he looks to focus on his family life.
As for Gutierrez, the 31-year-old is keen to take Edgar's spot in the rankings at No.12, or perhaps higher given his lengthy unbeaten streak. The ex-lightweight champion had only won once at bantamweight, but was still able to cling on to a ranking spot before deciding to quit the sport after a 36-fight career in the octagon.
