After a pro career spanning more than 19 years, Raphael Assuncao will hang up his gloves.
Assuncao (27-10 MMA, 12-7 UFC) was choked unconscious by Davey Grant (13-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The end of the fight was a bizarre one and saw Grant rally to knock Assuncao down, then choke him out.
Afterward, Assuncao took his gloves off and set them down in the middle of the cage to signify his retirement.
“Thank you God for giving me the strength up to this age,” the 40-year-old Assuncao said in the cage. “Thank you to my family for giving me 100 percent support. Thanks to the UFC and you guys calling these shows. It’s such a tough career. I was able to do this for 19 years as a professional, but I think my time has come now. I put a lot of effort into this training camp away from my family, and I think that’s it for me.”
Assuncao, who was born in Brazil, but has lived most of his life in the U.S., made his pro debut in January 2004 and started his career 9-0. He made his way to the WEC in 2009, then to the UFC when the two promotions merged.
He lost his UFC debut to Erik Koch in 2011, but then went on a seven-fight winning streak to put himself in title contention. At UFC 200, though, he dropped a decision to T.J. Dillashaw and had to go back to the drawing board.
That drawing board started with a split decision win over Aljamain Sterling, the current bantamweight champion, and a win over former PFL champ Marlon Moraes. The new streak hit four and 11 of his past 12.
But then Assuncao hit a four-fight skid with losses to Moraes, Cory Sandhagen, former champ Cody Garbrandt and Ricky Simon. After a win over Victor Henry this past October, Assuncao dropped the fight to Grant on Saturday.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 221.
