Is Jason Witt retired?

UFC welterweight Jason Witt has officially retired from mixed martial arts. He won 19 of his 28 professional fights across various promotions.

Witt signed with the UFC in 2020 and has since fought inside the octagon six times, winning twice and losing by knockout the other four times. His only professional championship came during his time in the Kansas City Fighting Alliance, where he held the welterweight title.

'The Vanilla Gorilla' took to Instagram to announce his decision and penned down a few words of appreciation for those who have been part of his MMA journey. He described getting to the UFC as his career goal:

"I am officially RETIRED from Mixed Martial Arts. For the past 15+ years I dedicated myself and my life to MMA. Through literal blood, sweat and tears it taught me how to be disciplined, how to overcome adversity, and how to be humble and respectful. It forced me to grow up to become the man I needed to be to reach my goal to fight in the UFC. It allowed me to travel all over the world, introduced me to all kinds of people, and help make memories that I will cherish forever."

Witt also expressed his excitement for whatever comes next in his life:

"I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I am closing this chapter in my life, but I’m very excited for what the future holds. To each and every person that has been a part of my MMA career (there’s way too many tag individually), from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. To everyone that has followed or shown support, you are greatly appreciated. On to the next chapter!"

Check out his retirement post on Instagram:

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UFC fighters pay tribute to Jason Witt upon his retirement

Fellow mixed martial artists and others from the MMA fraternity wished Jason Witt well in his retirement and showed respect to him.

UFC and ESPN analyst Laura Sanko paid tribute to her former teammate, writing:

"You’ve done so much to be proud of! Very very few people have reached the level you have and you will always have that! You’ve always been such a good teammate. Thank you for everything you’ve contributed to the team over the years 🙌"

No.11-ranked UFC bantamweight Ricky Simon also commented on the post and wished Witt the best going forward:

"Glad I had the chance to meet you along the way bro! Good luck in whatever you do next 👊🏽"

Check out what other fighters had to say to Jason Witt on his retirement post:

Fighters comment on Jason Witt's Instagram post. [via Instagram @the_vanillagorilla]