Julie Kedzie has announced her retirement from mixed martial arts after losing out by split decision to Bethe Correia on the main card of last night’s UFC Fight Night 33 event in Australia.
“Before walking out to my fight today, I had a long talk with my coach, and we decided that this would be my last MMA fight,” Kedzie wrote on Twitter. “I would have loved to have gone out on a win, but c’est la vie – don’t leave it to the judges. Heartbreak is a huge part of this sport.
“I really truly want to thank all of you for being a part of my journey as a fighter,” Kedzie wrote. “I will still be involved in MMA for the rest of my life, but now it’s time for me to accept that I can give more to the sport by stepping back and taking role in helping to develop other fighters
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the UFC, my team, and all of you who have made me achieve some amazing dreams.”
The 32 year-old has been fighting since 2004 and has competed for a number of notable promotions such as HOOKnSHOOT, King Of The Cage, Elite XC, Strikeforce and finally UFC throughout the course of her career.
Her defeat last night was the second time she’d come out on the wrong end of a close split decision verdict since joining the UFC earlier this year, and was her fourth straight loss.
In total she bows out with a 16-13 professional record. It’s likely Kedzie will continue to be associated with the sport now that she’s hung up her gloves, having worked at Greg Jackson’s gym for many years and also having done a good job providing color commentary and interviews for all-female fight promotion Invicta FC.
