Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Aisling Daly has announced that she is hanging up her gloves. Monday, the 29-year-old Irish fighter posted via Instagram that an abnormality on a recent brain scan led her to retire.
“I will be officially retiring from the sport of MMA. This past year a routine brain scan showed up evidence of an abnormality, the remnant of a small haemorrhage that had taken place at some point in the months previous,” Daly wrote. “It would be unlikely I would be medically cleared to compete again, even in the event I could find a doctor who would clear me it would be very unwise for me to continue to compete with the risks involved.”
One of the first standouts to emerge from John Kavanagh's SBG Ireland gym, Daly fought professionally for nearly 10 years. Debuting in May 2007 in Denmark, Daly was a trailblazer for both Irish MMA, as well as women's MMA across Europe.
Daly last competed in October 2015, earning a unanimous decision victory over Brazilian Erick Almeida in her native Dublin at UFC Fight Night 76. “Ais the Bash” put together a 2-1 UFC mark after competing on the 20th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where she punched out Angela Magana, then lost a unanimous decision to Jessica Penne.
Daly retires with a 16-6 pro MMA record.
Read her full Instagram statement below: