Why Julian Erosa's Fairytale Knockout Exit at Meta Apex Is the Rare UFC Retirement Story We Rarely See
Julian Erosa defied the sport's grim reality by orchestrating a spectacular 91-second comeback knockout to retire completely on his own terms.
Days before UFC Vegas 123, Julian Erosa announced that the Halloween showdown would mark his final walk to the Octagon, regardless of the result. Coming off back-to-back defeats, very few expected a fairy-tale ending to his career.
He turned his final night into an exception, delivering a stellar 91-second highlight-reel knockout against JeongYeong Lee (11-4) to walk away on his own terms.
Julian Erosa Closes 16-Year Career in Spectacular Fashion Despite Early Scare
UFC Vegas 123 saw four Performance of the Night showdowns where each winner walked away with a massive $100,000 bonus. Erosa was one of the four fighters, making his retirement night even sweeter.
Securing that ending was anything but easy. Just moments into the opening round, the 37-year-old absorbed a devastating left hook from Lee that sent him crashing to the canvas. For a brief second, it looked like a third consecutive defeat was inevitable.
However, Erosa survived and fired back with a looping right hook that instantly put the South Korean fighter down. From there, he needed only a few follow-up punches to secure the finish.
Speaking with Daniel Cormier, Erosa admitted the cinematic finish went exactly according to his pre-fight vision, saying, "I knew this was going to be my last fight, so I wanted to go out with a bang. I want to do this tomorrow, but I had to make the decision that was going to be my last fight, win, lose or draw. And I'm happy with that.”
His wife and young son were inside the cage to celebrate the highlight-reel victory, as Erosa officially closed the curtain on his 16-year professional career with a 32–14 record.
Julian Erosa’s Farewell Defied the Veteran Curse
However, very few retirements in the UFC happen on a fighter’s own terms. There are several examples of veterans who exit following devastating losing streaks rather than on a date they picked themselves.
Former champion Frankie Edgar suffered a brutal knockout in his farewell at UFC 281. Tony Ferguson, whose MMA career spanned 16 years, endured eight straight losses before a quiet goodbye at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024.
Chuck Liddell lost five of his final six UFC fights by knockout. Anderson Silva won just once in his last nine bouts before getting stopped in an empty Apex arena. Even icons like B.J. Penn and Tyron Woodley could not escape the curse, as both went on terrible losing streaks before being released by the promotion.
Meanwhile, Erosa claimed a fairytale win on the exact date he picked to walk away, with his family watching from the stands. He made his pro debut in 2010 in Washington and reached the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter 22 and the Contender Series path.
But the promotion released him twice. His third stint began in 2020 at the Apex and became the most impressive run of his career. Still, coming off back-to-back losses to Melquizael Costa and Lerryan Douglas, few expected him to deliver such a perfect ending on his final night.
Walking off with a spectacular first-round TKO and pocketing a massive $100,000 performance bonus made his last fight complete from every single angle.
