Sultan Aliev Announces Retirement Following Victory at UFC St. Petersburg

@ASULTAN_MMA pouring it on in the st!#UFCStPetersburg pic.twitter.com/ss2hLrrFNz

— UFC (@ufc) April 20, 2019

Sultan Aliev ended his mixed martial arts career on a high note.

The 34-year-old Dagestani fighter announced his retirement following a unanimous decision triumph against Keita Nakamura at UFC Fight Night 149 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday, ending his tenure with a 15-3 mark.

“This fight was the last on my contract with the UFC, so it was very important for me to win. And it was much easier for me since I fought at home,” Aliev said. “Since that was the last fight on my contract, I’d like to retire from MMA. I’ve got a family and job – I just can’t find time for everything. And also I’m starting to feel my age.

  “I did all this not only for my fans, but to test myself and push my limits. I am grateful to UFC for giving me this chance.”

The American Top Team representative went 2-2 in the Las Vegas-based promotion, besting Nakamura and Bojan Velickovic, while falling to Warlley Alves and Kenny Robertson. Aliev also went 1-1 during a brief stint with Bellator MMA. He finished 10 of his victories by knockout or technical knockout.