"No more weight cuts, so let's eat!" - UFC reporter Megan Olivi pens heartfelt message for husband Joseph Benavidez after his MMA retirement 

Joseph Benavidez retired from professional MMA on Wednesday with a 15-6 UFC record under his belt.

MMA Junkie first reported that the former UFC flyweight title challenger had requested the promotion to remove him from the USADA testing pool. The news was confirmed by Joseph Benavidez's wife, UFC correspondent Megan Olivi, on social media.

Megan Olivi later took to Instagram to post a long, emotional message detailing their journey together. She also included a few statistics that highlight the decorated career that Joseph Benavidez had.

"You, my husband, are incredible. A pioneer. A legend. A record holder. And most importantly, a wonderful human being. I am beyond proud of you. Thank you for taking me along on this wild ride, it’s been the honor of my life to be by your side all these years. As so many have said today, the sport is better because you were in it. I can’t wait to see what adventures the next years bring, the sky is the limit for you. I love and appreciate you in every facet of your life. I hope you feel the love you deserve as you close this chapter of your life. No more weight cuts so let’s eat!" Megan Olivi wrote.

In December last year, Megan Olivi shared on Renee Paquette's podcast Oral Sessions that she met Joseph Benavidez in 2009 in the lobby of the Las Vegas resort Mandalay Bay. The couple got married in October 2015.

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Joseph Benavidez on retirement: "There was no more fights that were going to be fun"

Joseph Benavidez, who is hanging up his fighting gloves after 15 years in the profession and four unsuccessful title challenges in the UFC, opened up about his retirement to MMA Fighting.

"I’ve known for a while. I’ve always fought to be the best and also because it was fun. I probably knew my last title shot was my last shot ever so that was kind of not going to happen for me," Joseph Benavidez said.

The 37-year-old revealed that the main reason behind the decision to retire was that there were no more potential fights left that interested him anymore.

"It’s like, I don’t want to fight these guys next, these killers. I don’t want to beat them up or have them beat me up. There was no more fights that were going to be fun... They’d only be for money or whatever. I’d never looked at it like a job I’m doing for money. It’s always been to have fun and to be the best."

He pointed out how most of the UFC roster is now made up of the younger generation who have grown up watching him or the fighters he has trained on The Ultimate Fighter, none of which is an exciting prospect for him.