Tyson Pedro Retires After Loss to Vitor Petrino at UFC Fight Night 238

Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight veteran Tyson Pedro hung up his gloves after a loss against surging prospect Vitor Petrino at UFC Fight Night 238.

Pedro dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision against the undefeated Brazilian on the main card. The Australian fan favourite then took off his gloves and waited for his opponent’s post-fight interview to end before announcing his retirement from the UFC.

“I didn’t want to take away from his win, obviously,” Pedro said. “I had a different bit of a plan going at this race. It wasn’t the best performance, so thank you to all the fans. I want to say thank you very much to the UFC for everything they have done on this journey. Especially thanks to my team, anyone that’s helped me get to this stage of my martial arts career.”

Pedro started his pro career with four first-round stoppage wins before signing with the UFC. Pedro went on to score consecutive first-round wins over Paul Craig and Khalil Rountree Jr. before suffering his first career setback against Ilir Latifi. Pedro then went back and forth throughout his career, mounting a 6-5 promotional record, scoring all of his victories in the first round. The once promising 205-pound contender claims his dreams have now changed.

"It's been amazing, but it's always been my intention to show my daughter that as long you work your ass off, grind towards what you love, you can do anything you dream of,” Pedro said. “I think my dreams have just changed at this point. So that's it for me with UFC. Thank you to all the fans from the bottom of my heart. I don’t think it’s goodbye, just see you later. Until then, thanks everyone.”

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