UFC Veteran Shares Heartfelt Retirement Message After 16-Year UFC Career
A lengthy UFC career that spanned more than 16 years and 25 fights officially came to an end last Saturday night.
Headlined by a fight for the vacant women's bantamweight title that saw Natalia Silva claim UFC gold by taking a unanimous decision over Wong Cong, UFC 332 faced heavy criticism from fans leading up to the event due to the lack of major stars and meaningful fights.
Although the matchmaking for some of the fights on UFC 332 will likely be a point of ongoing discussion for fans, the card did deliver a record-setting number of first-round knockouts and saw 11 out of the 14 scheduled fights end inside the distance.
UFC Veteran Court McGee Retired After UFC 332 Fight
It didn't come in the opening round, but UFC 332 did kick off with a knockout when Eric Nolan stopped longtime UFC veteran Court McGee in the third round of their welterweight curtain jerker.
Former The Ultimate Fighter winner McGee made it clear ahead of UFC 332 that the matchup with Nolan would be his final walk to the Octagon, and even though he lost the 41-year-old got to retire in his home state and was given a well-deserved send off from the UFC.
Thank you for everything @Court_McGee puts the gloves down after #UFC332! pic.twitter.com/WK85mLT4eU
- UFC (@ufc) October 3, 2026
Court McGee Reflects on Incredible UFC Run Following Retirement
After leaving his gloves in the Octagon, McGee took to social media on Monday to put the final stamp on his retirement decision and reflect on a career that saw him fight 25 times under the UFC banner.
After winning Season 11 of TUF as a middleweight in 2010, " The Crusher" experienced mixed results in the UFC at 185 lbs. before he dropped down to welterweight in 2013 and become a mainstay of the division for the rest of his career.
The loss to Nolan left McGee on a two-fight skid and 1-5 run dating back to his loss to Jeremiah Wells in 2022, but the 41-year-old did secure one last highlight at UFC 307 when he submitted Tim Means with a first-round neck crank for what turned out to be the final win of his career.
UFC 332 Produced 11 Knockouts Out of 14 Fights
McGee gave Nolan all he could handle in the opening bout for UFC 332, and after the next fight between Ismail Naurdiev and Marvin Vettori went the distance fans were treated to eight-straight knockouts.
Alexander Hernandez stopped former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos in the second round before Jacobe Smith made short work of Bruce Whitehead, which was followed by an emphatic knockout from Johnny Walker in his light heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin.
Marcus McGhee gave Anthony Romero a rude welcome to the UFC after undefeated heavyweight Anthony Wint also secured his second UFC win in just 23 seconds, and the next three knockouts from Damian Pinas, Imanol Rodriguez, and Roman Kopylov all secured "Performance of the Night" bonuses following the conclusion of the event.
Esteban Ribovics also halted King Green's winning run with a first-round finish, and the penultimate fight of the night saw Payton Talbott defeat his second former UFC champion in a row when he stopped Deiveson Figueiredo in just over two minutes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Veteran Shares Heartfelt Retirement Message After 16-Year UFC Career.