...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
It's been just over a year since Jay Hieron's last fight, and the veteran welterweight on Friday night said he won't have another. The 37-year-old officially announced his retirement via Twitter, calling an end to a career which spanned nearly ten years.
Jus wanna say Thank you to my family,friends, & fans. I'm Officially Retiring from Professional Fighting today!
Hieron fought in numerous major promotions in the U.S. during his career, first appearing in the UFC once each in 2004 and 2005. He made one appearance in the early days of the WEC, was a staple in IFL, and also fought on one of the Affliction cards before moving on to Strikeforce. He nearly got a title fight in Strikeforce before eventually moving on, and he went on to Bellator where he would earn a title fight with Ben Askren.
He gave Askren the toughest fight anyone had before or since, and had an argument for winning the decision. Unfortunately for him, he lost a split decision in that fight.
He picked up a win outside of Bellator in his next outing, and got one more run in the UFC in late 2012. However, his career would end on a down note, as he lost a decision to Jake Ellenberger before suffering a vicious one punch knockout against Tyron Woodley.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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