The only two-time finalist in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Dhiego Lima, is retiring from MMA.
Lima (15-9 MMA, 4-7 UFC) announced Wednesday, just days after the 12-year anniversary of his debut, that he will no longer continue with active competition.
The 33-year-old posted a statement on social media and said he believes a higher power made it clear that he should no longer fight (via Instagram):
“THANK YOU ALL!! OBRIGADO A TODOS!!!
“Hey guys I am making this post to announce that I will be retiring from fighting. My timing and Gods timing is completely different, I feel like I’m in my prime but he has bigger and better plans for my life. I know when God speaks to me and he was clear that my fighting days are over. Thank you for everyone that has supported me through this journey. One thing I do is obey God even when I don’t want to and that’s the a lesson I hope you take from this, his plans are always better. Thank you @ufc for my career and always taking care of me I will be around as a coach there because I have plenty of young guns that will make it and I will be there for them!!”
Lima, who is the younger brother of former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, made his MMA debut in February 2010. He won nine of 10 fights to open his career and was invited to join Season 19 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
Upon making it to the finals of the tournament, Lima suffered a first-round knockout loss to Eddie Gordon in his official UFC debut in July 2014. He would lose two of his next three octagon appearances before being released from the company.
Lima got a second chance, however, on Season 25 of “TUF,” which featured a complete cast of fighters trying to make it back to the UFC. He advanced to the final but would again fall short of the crown with a loss to Jesse Taylor.
Despite the defeat, Lima was signed to the UFC where he would fight out the remainder of this career. He went 3-3 in his second stint, facing notables such as Matt Brown, Belal Muhammad, Court McGee, and Yushin Okami.
The Brazilian was scheduled to fight Miguel Baeza at UFC Fight Night on April 16 before making his announcement.
Lima retires from the sport with four knockout and four submission wins on his record.
