UFC Welterweight Cathal Pendred Announces Retirement from MMA

Cathal Pendred has retired from mixed martial arts at 28 years old.

The Irish welterweight announced his decision via Twitter on Wednesday. Pendred exits the sport on the heels of back-to-back losses against Tom Breese and John Howard in the UFC. “The Ultimate Fighter 19” veteran finished with a 4-2 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I am a passionate person and I always give 100 [percent] to what I do. I have been passionate about MMA for a long time and my focus on the sport has been my driving force for the last [nine] years,” Pendred wrote.

“I now find that my passion is now longer what it was and I feel that it is time for me to move on. I have other interests that I want to pursue. The time is right to close one door and open another. My love of MMA remains with me. I intend to maintain my involvement with the sport, but I no longer wish to compete.”

Pendred, who was one of Conor McGregor’s training partners at SBG Ireland, initially made a name for himself in the Europe-based Cage Warriors Fighting Championship promotion, winning five of his six fights and capturing the organization’s 170-pound title. The Dublin native was 17-4-1 overall since making his professional debut in 2009.

“I have developed as a person because of mixed martial arts, as I learned to cope with the disciple and the demands of the sport,” he wrote. “MMA has made me a stronger person. This strength will carry through into other areas of my life, as I move on to pursue new goals.”