Jon Fitch announced his retirement on Saturday night following a loss to Neiman Gracie at Bellator 246. Fitch tapped to a heel-hook in the second round and then proceeded to announce his retirement.
“I had a lot of fun, but at the same time, the body doesn’t react the way I want it to anymore. The recovery’s not quite the same,” Fitch said at the post-fight press conference. “I don’t want to go down a dirty road, so I think it’s a great time. 32-8-2-1, it’s pretty good. I’ve got the titles I’ve won.”
Fitch finishes his career with a 32-8 record with 2 draws and 1 no-contest.
His UFC career culminated in a title fight with Georges St. Pierre, a fight Fitch specifically mentioned in the post-fight press conference as one of the greatest moments of his career. After leaving the promotion in 2013, Fitch signed with the World Series of Fighting promotion. He’d eventually win the company’s Welterweight belt in 2016. Fitch would vacate that title and sign with Bellator in 2018.
Fitch’s Bellator career finishes with a 1-1-1 record. He defeated Paul Daley in his debut, fought Rory MacDonald to a draw, and was then submitted by Neiman Gracie on Saturday.
