Tyson Pedro cites financial struggles as his reason for retiring following UFC Vegas 87 loss

Tyson PedroUFC veteran Tyson Pedro cited financial concerns as a motivating factor in his decision to retire from MMA. On…

Tyson Pedro

UFC veteran Tyson Pedro cited financial concerns as a motivating factor in his decision to retire from MMA.

On Saturday, Pedro came up short in his return to the Octagon, suffering a unanimous decision loss to Vitor Petrino as part of the promotion’s return to The APEX for UFC Vegas 87. Following the fight, Pedro laid down his gloves and made the official announcement.

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

“It’s been amazing, but it’s always been my intention to show my daughter that as long as you work your ass off and grind towards what you love, you can do anything you can dream of, and 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, don’t think it’s goodbye it’s see you later. Until then, thanks, everyone” (Sporting News).

Tyson Pedro sheds light on his decision to retire

Appearing at the post-fight press event, the Aussie standout revealed that financial concerns are part of the reason why he decided to close the book on his career.

“It’s been on my mind a little bit lately,” Pedro said. “Mainly just being away from my daughter. I’ve been away for 12 months over the last two and a half years. That’s obviously my choice going over to New Zealand. I know that’s where I’m going to be the best mixed martial artist.

“You put in all the costs and I probably just can’t do it anymore. With all the (tax) deductions and the loss of the fight tonight, I’m probably going to have to rob someone in the car park. … Who’s got the most on them?”

Debuting for the promotion in 2016, Tyson Pedro went 6-5 inside the Octagon with four of his victories coming by way of knockout. His most notable wins came against Khalil Rountree Jr. and Paul Craig.