Jake Ellenberger set his glove down following his first-round TKO loss to Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night 135. Ellenberger would then proceed to formally announce his retirement to the Nebraskan audience, a state Ellenberger hails from. The fans in attendance in the Pinnacle Bank Arena might have been surprised by the announcement, but Bryan Barberena wasn’t. In fact, Barberena claims that he knew the announcement was coming well before the fight even began:
“I knew this was going to be his last fight,” Barberena told MMAjunkie. “He’s kind of on his way out. I knew that. He was on a skid and everything and the fact I was the guy he was going to fight next, I knew he was going to retire after. I wish him the best of luck in pursuing future ventures and I know he’s going to be successful whatever he decides to do. He’s done a lot for the sport, I respect him, and it was an honor to fight him.”
Jake Ellenberger’s career may have come to an end Saturday night, but Bryan Barberena plans to be fighting for many years to come. When asked whom the next fight will be against, Barberena had a couple of popular names in mind:
“There’s some guys I’m looking at,” Barberena said. “There are two guys booked, Perry and Cerrone. So I’d love to fight either of those guys. But my back’s kind of giving me some weird feelings after this fight. I’m not sure when I was going in for the finish or something, I don’t know. It’s bugging me a little bit so I’m going to get that checked out. Hopefully it’s nothing serious and bounce right back.”
Whom would you like to see Bryan Barberena fight next after retiring Jake Ellenberger at UFC Lincoln?
