Erosa Retires on a High After 91-Second Knockout Ends His UFC Career in Fairytale Fashion

Julian Erosa walked away from the UFC exactly how he had dreamed it, knocking out Jeong Yeong Lee in 91 seconds at UFC Vegas 123 in what he had already decided would be his final fight. The 37-year-old featherweight revealed afterwards that he had made the retirement call well before fight night and would have hung up his gloves regardless of the outcome. Instead, he got the storybook ending he had dreamed of.

The finish itself was dramatic. Erosa survived an early knockdown before landing a right hand that dropped Lee, then finished the job with follow-up punches at 1:31 of the first round. The performance also earned him one of four $100,000 performance bonuses handed out on the night, a fitting final payday for a fighter who built a reputation for all-action battles and remarkable comebacks.

Erosa leaves the sport on his own terms, a rarity in a career as unforgiving as mixed martial arts. Few fighters get to choose their exit, and fewer still get to do it with a knockout inside two minutes. "I knew this was going to be my last fight, so I wanted to go out with a bang," he said. On Saturday night, he proved it one last time.