UFC star Jimi Manuwa announces his retirement from MMA following Aleksandar Rakic KO

Manuwa calls time on his MMA career. (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

UFC star Jimi Manuwa has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following his devastating loss to Aleksandar Rakic.

Manuwa was knocked out cold via a vicious head kick at UFC Stockholm on Saturday night – a fourth straight defeat for the former light heavyweight contender.

A firm fan favourite after years of delivering thrilling performances, the veteran has now decided now is the right moment to call time on his career at 39.

He bows out with a record of 17 wins and six losses from 23 fights, having played a key role in putting UK MMA on the map.

“I’ve had a great martial arts career and the last four fights have been tough losses to take not only for myself but for my family who is always first,” Manuwa wrote on Instagram.

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I came to London from Nigeria when i was 10 yrs old in 1990. I grew up in south London and had crazy teenage years filled with fights and life lessons. In 2006 i was 26 years old and i discovered the ufc while flicking through the sports channels late at night , it immediately captured me , the likes of rampage jackson, tito ortiz , randy couture , shogun were my favourite fighters and i became a fan instantly. i’d never set foot in any martial arts gym in my life and neither didn’t have any plans to. In 2008 i was 28 years old and i said to myself that i’m gonna fight for the ufc. i got off my sofa and started training muay thai and bjj , i had no martial arts experience but i was a tough cunt from south london. Martial arts immediately put more structure and discipline into my crazy life and helped me become a much better person than i was previously. I had my first pro fight after 2 weeks training and i won. within the first 2 years i was uk number 1, but the goal was to fight for the ufc. I won all my fights by ko and in 2012 i accepted a ufc contract after turning them down twice with an 11-0 record all knockouts. Ive had a great martial arts career and the last 4 fights have been tough losses to take not only for myself but for my family who is always first, ive given out a mostly knockouts and taken a few myself , that’s my fan loving style but it takes a toll on the body especially concussions which are not visible to the eye i’ve met a lot of great people along the way and travelled the world but it’s time to leave this chapter and on to the next one because there’s a life after fighting and i feel it’s my obligation to give more to combat sports which i love dearly outside of fighting. Thank you @danawhite and the @ufc for letting me showcase my skills and thank you to all my coaches and training partners who have helped and taught me along the way , much love to the fans and last but not least much love to my dear family who together we made this dream a reality. Jimi POSTERBOY Manuwa PB1 🦁 ... stay tuned 😉

A post shared by Jimi Manuwa (@pb1_) on Jun 4, 2019 at 4:50am PDT

“I’ve given out mostly knockouts and taken a few myself, that’s my fan loving style but it takes a toll on the body especially concussions which are not visible to the eye.

“I’ve met a lot of great people along the way and travelled the world but it’s time to leave this chapter and on to the next one because there’s a life after fighting and I feel it’s my obligation to give more to combat sports which I love dearly outside of fighting.”

Manuwa moved to London from Nigeria at the age of 10, growing up in Croydon. He did not take up mixed martial arts until the age of 28 but after swift success with British promotion BAMMA, was signed by UFC in 2012.

Manuwa has been a regular in the light heavyweight division’s top 10 during his time with the promotion, achieving a career-high ranking of fourth.

He went to war with some of the division’s best fighters in recent years, living by the sword and dying by the sword chasing knockout victories - with all but two of his 23 professional bouts ending via KO or TKO.

Despite losses to Volkan Oezdemir, Jan Blachowicz Thiago Santos and lastly Rakic on Saturday, his performances continued to win plaudits, claiming three performance bonuses in his last six fights.