Julian Erosa announces retirement after first-round knockout at UFC Vegas 123

"

Julian Erosa | (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Julian Erosa got his fairytale ending. On Saturday night, Erosa competed for the final time at UFC Vegas 123, taking on Jeong Yeong Lee in a prelim bout. Erosa announced before the fight that he would retire, win, lose, or draw, and fortunately for “Juicy J” it was the first one, as he went out on a high note with a first-round knockout victory. Erosa got tagged early in the bout, stumbling back after eating a left hook from Lee, but after he was able to compose himself, Erosa then returned the favor, dropping Lee with a looping right hook, then pouncing on him with some follow-up shots to seal the deal in his final MMA fight. A storybook ending to Julian Erosa's UFC career 👏 [ #UFCVegas123 | LIVE on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/yj5YEd07XY — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) October 31, 2026 FINAL DE PELÍCULA 💢 Erosa casi pierde la pelea al inicio del round y poco después termina noqueando 🧨#UFCVegas123 | Estamos en vivo por @PPlusDeportes pic.twitter.com/i4tem7epew — UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) October 31, 2026 After the win, Erosa spoke about his decision to retire. “It’s amazing, man. When I had my son, my priorities switched around,” Erosa said. “Fighting was everything to me; I had my son, so he’s everything to me. Fighting was always going to be there, but he’s always going to be there, and I want to be in his life for as long as possible with as many brain cells as I have so I can see his kids grow up.” Congratulations on a great career for Julian Erosa 👏❤️ #UFCVegas123 | Stream TNT Sports on HBO Max https://t.co/aVEYJK1NFU pic.twitter.com/i3NF8Or6uz — UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 31, 2026 One of the few fighters to ever compete on both Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter, Erosa fought 19 times in the UFC across three separate stints in the promotion. He retires with an overall MMA record of 32-13.

"

Julian Erosa said goodbye to MMA with a "fairytale" comeback knockout win in his UFC Vegas 123 retirement bout.