Light heavyweight veteran Tyson Pedro announced his retirement from UFC following a unanimous decision loss to Vitor Petrino, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and the financial challenges of training in New Zealand.
Tyson Pedro’s fighting days are over, at least for now. The light heavyweight veteran called it quits after a unanimous decision loss to Vitor Petrino at UFC Vegas 87.
It wasn’t the best night for the 32-year-old Aussie. He had a chance to speak to viewers after Petrino’s post-fight victory interview.
“I want to thank all the fans,” Pedro said. “And a big thank you to the UFC for everything they’ve done on this journey.” He also thanked his team and everyone who helped him reach this stage of his martial arts career.
Pedro’s always wanted to show his daughter that hard work and passion can make dreams come true. But now, his dream has changed. “I think my dream has just changed at this point, so that’s it for me,” he said.
He thanked his fans again, from the bottom of his heart. “I don’t think it’s goodbye, just see you later,” he added. “So until then, thanks everyone.”
You can watch Pedro’s retirement speech below.
Pedro explained his decision to retire backstage at the UFC APEX. He wants to spend more time with his family and is concerned about the financial challenges of training in New Zealand.
“It’s been on my mind a little bit lately,” Pedro admitted. Being away from his daughter and wife for 12 months in the last two and a half years was tough. He chose to train in New Zealand because he believed it would make him the best martial artist.
“But the costs, the cost to my family — I probably just can’t do it anymore,” he confessed. After deductions and the loss of the fight, he joked about having to rob someone in the car park.
“It’s more a family thing,” Pedro added. “I’ve just got a change of the dreams, so if I’m going to do that I might as well spend it with my daughter.”
Pedro’s fighting career ends with a 10-5 pro record, including a 6-5 mark in the UFC. He was a promising prospect early in his UFC career, scoring first-round knockouts of Paul Craig and Khalil Rountree. But inconsistent results and injuries slowed him down.
After a TKO loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in December 2018, Pedro didn’t fight again for more than three years. His last win was at UFC 293 this past September in Sydney, where he thrilled the hometown crowd with a first-round knockout of Anton Turkalj.