18-Time Octagon Veteran Gian Villante Retires After UFC 268 Defeat

What a speech by Chris Barnett for his opponent Gian Villante #UFC268 pic.twitter.com/wvTtzChIOP

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 6, 2021

Gian Villante has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following a 31-bout professional career that began in 2009.

Villante’s final appearance will end up on highlight reels, as he was dropped by a spinning wheel kick from Chris Barnett and finished with follow-up ground strikes 2:23 into the opening round of their heavyweight bout at UFC 268 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Villante, 36, ends his tenure on a four-bout losing streak — with his final three appearances coming in the heavyweight division.

Villante’s next step will be a return to his gridiron roots, as he is coaching youth football in the Long Island area. He gave those players a shoutout in a post-fight interview with Newsday.

“Say hello to all my Seahawks, all my Generals, all the people in attendance, all the guys watching at home, I love you all,” Villante said. “Thank you all so much for the support and for reintroducing me to something I didn’t realize how much I missed. I love it. Thank you for helping me find the next path. Coaching those guys made it clear as could be that’s the next thing I want to be doing.”

A former NCAA All-American linebacker at Hofstra University, Villante primarily made his mark in MMA at 205 pounds, compiling a 10-3 mark in Strikeforce and Ring of combat before signing with the UFC. The Bellmore, N.Y., native would go 7-11 within the Las Vegas-based promotion, earning notable wins over the likes of Corey Anderson, Sean O’Connell and Ed Herman.

“It was a fun ride,” Villante told Newsday. “I enjoyed it, whatever the result.”