Ranked UFC middleweight Uriah Hall has decided to call it a career.
Uriah Hall Retires from MMA
The 38-year-old former finalist on The Ultimate Fighter announced his intention to retire on social media this morning in the form of an Instagram post.
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“It is with great sadness that I will be stepping away from the greatest sport in the world,” Hall wrote. “I’m going to miss the incredible UFC staff that has become like family and the mentors I have met along the way. The UFC has given me the best opportunity to step completely outside my comfort zone.”
Hall (17-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC) saw his share of highs and lows as a member of the UFC roster, delivering big wins with the microscope seemingly always on him. Hall’s spinning wheel kick knockout of Adam Cella on TUF immediately went viral, creating a level of expectation that would have been difficult for any fighter to meet. That said, the Spanish Town, Jamaica native had his moments inside the UFC Octagon, both positive and negative. Coming off an exciting finale in which he would be defeated by current UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum, Hall would compete at the landmark UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, the company’s first event broadcast on Fox Sports 1. After falling to short-notice replacement John Howard, Hall would go on to win five of his next six, accented by a flying knee knockout of Gegard Mousasi, a man still considered to be perennially one of the top middleweights in the world.
From that moment on, Hall had established himself as a middleweight contender in his own right. He would later embark on another four-fight winning streak that included wins over former champions Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, with the latter coming by way of a freak injury. He most recently competed at UFC 276, dropping a decision to Brazilian André Muniz.
Though he never fought for a UFC title, Hall leaves the sport with his head held high, thankful to all who supported him throughout his 19-fight journey.
“I want to thank the incredible fans, you guys made the sport what it is today,” Hall said. “It is important to have the right people around you that care for you and encourage you to become a better version of yourself. I want to thank my team my coaches my friends and my family always standing by me. You all have been the driving force that encouraged me daily. Lastly, I want to specifically thank Dana White for giving me the opportunity to collide with modern day gladiators.”
