Uriah Hall announced on Wednesday that he was “retiring from the greatest sport on earth.”
A former The Ultimate Fighter finalist who defeated some of the best middleweights in the sport’s history such as Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi, Hall pulled back on his four-fight winning streak after back-to-back decision losses to Andre Muniz and Sean Strickland.
“It is with great sadness that I will be leaving the greatest sport on earth,” Hall wrote on his Instagram page. “I will miss the incredible UFC staff who have become like family and the mentors I’ve met along the way. The UFC gave me the best opportunity to completely step out of my comfort zone.
“Over the years I have competed at the highest level against some of the best in the world. Although I did not achieve the rank of World Champion, I did have some of my greatest achievements from mixed martial arts and that was to face my fears and be a champion in life.”
Hall compiled a record of 17-11 as a professional MMA fighter and won 10 of 19 fights under the UFC banner. “Prime Time” won the Ring of Combat middleweight championship before joining TUF in 2012, where he won three showmatches against Kevin Gastelum on his way to the middleweight finals.
“I want to thank the incredible fans, you guys have made the sport what it is today,” he wrote. “It’s important to have the right people around you who care about you and encourage you to become a better version of yourself. I want to thank my team, my coaches, my friends and my family who always support me. You have all been the driving force that has encouraged me on a daily basis.
“Finally, I want to give a special thank you to Dana White for giving me the opportunity to clash with modern day gladiators. Thank you for always supporting me through good and bad… For the next generation, you are the 1% best athletes in the world. It will be a pleasure to see where this sport takes you from here. I will watch! go there.”