UFC/Bellator News: Michael McDonald announces his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts

What's the story?

Veteran Bantamweight fighter Michael McDonald has announced that after a competing in the MMA circuit for well over a decade, the former TPF Bantamweight Champion is all set to hang up his gloves once and for all.

In case you didn't know...

At the age of 19, Michael McDonald became the youngest fighter on the Zuffa roster when signed for World Extreme Cagefighting and Clint Godfrey via first round submission in his promotional debut on November 11, 2010.

In 2010, WEC merged with the UFC and all WEC active fighters were transferred to the UFC roster. In his first fight for Dana White's promotion, McDonald defeated promotion newcomer Edwin Figueroa in a highly entertaining fight. Within his next few fights, McDonald compiled some notable wins over Miguel Angel Torres, Chris Cariaso, and Masanori Kanehara.

However, following a loss to John Lineker in 2016 at UFC Fight Night 91, McDonald subsequently departed from the UFC and jumped ship to Bellator MMA. And in his debut for the promotion, McDonald defeated Peter Ligier, before eventually breaking his hand in his next bout against Eduardo Dantas.

The heart of the matter

This past Thursday, Michael McDonald confirmed his retirement from MMA with ESPN, as he noted that after undergoing his fifth hand surgery in the last five years, it was about time for the 27-year-old to move on with his career. (H/T: Bloody Elbow)

“This last fight, everything was perfect,” McDonald said. “This feels good. Most people, when they quit, it’s because they can’t hang. They’ve been beaten out of the sport and their family is sitting them down and asking them to please stop. For me, it’s not a matter of skill or being able to perform, but I’m at a point where the cost is greater than the reward.

McDonald, in addition, stated that he even discussed retiring from the sport prior to his last fight, but is ultimately satisfied with his decision.

“I’m exhausted of these hand injuries. I’m exhausted of breaking my body in half.”

What's next?

Now that Michael McDonald has finally retired from the sport, we wish him a speedy recovery ahead, as he has been dealing with some nasty hand injuries for the past several years.