Bisping announces retirement

Former UFC middleweight champion, 39-year-old Michael Bisping officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. According to the fighter, one of the key reasons for this decision was the eye injury received in the November duel with Kelvin Gastelum.

"You know, you cannot do this forever. Unfortunately, I do not announce the next fight. I am announcing my retirement in mixed martial arts. I had problems with the eye, but after the fight with Gastelum I had problems with the second, healthy eye.

“After the fight, I was at a nightclub party and saw flashes. These were not flash cameras - it was my healthy eye. Such things happen to this day, if I am in a dark room. So I began to worry and could not believe that my retinal detachment had begun. The doctors examined and confirmed my fears, but then the examination showed that this is a detachment of the vitreous.

“Then I decided that it's time to finish. I considered the option to speak at a London tournament, negotiations were underway for a fight with Evans, but what we could not agree on was probably for the best.

“It's not worth it. What else can I do? I won the title, won a lot of battles and achieved all the goals. You need to know when to leave. I'm almost 40 years old, the time has come," Bisping said.