‘Fighting has come to an end’: UFC Bantamweight Veteran Announces Retirement After an Entertaining 40-Fight Run Inside the Octagon

Veteran UFC Bantamweight fighter Brian Kelleher has decided to hang up his gloves following a 40-fight run in the sport of MMA. Kelleher announced the decision to retire through a brief social media post. While till two weeks ago, he was actively posting videos of his training but hasn't stepped inside the Octagon since July 2024. His final fight came against Cody Gibson, which turned out to be his 4th consecutive loss inside the ring. 

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UFC Veteran Brian Kelleher Announces Retirement

“I don’t know what’s next, but it seems fighting has come to an end,” he wrote to his followers in a statement which didn’t come with so much as a photo. “What a journey. Thank you all who have supported me. Love you. BOOM”

While he could never reach the upper echelons of his weight division but earned no less than five performance bonuses in his 17-fight spell with the sport's biggest promotion. Much like the sport, his popularity also picked up during the lockdown era, where he competed regularly in empty arenas.

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 Brian Kelleher: A Fan-Favorite Fighter

Throughout his run in the UFC, Kelleher competed with some of the top names the sport has to offer. He even took scalps over the likes of Hunter Azure and former champion Renan Barao during a series of fights that always had a lot to offer. Kelleher raked in 24 wins in his career and was on the losing end 16 times.

He only went to the scorecards five times in his 17 UFC fights, and he received a handful of performance bonuses for some of his significant victories. He is a former Ring of Combat champion who has also competed in Bellator and several regional promotions.

Back in 2018, he said of his career: “I was down and out. Record of 10-7 just another pro fighter. Got a full-time job was dating a girl who doubted it all. I told myself no more selling myself short. No more losing if I wanna make my dream happen to be in the UFC. I won 7 straight all prospects now look.”