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20-Fight UFC Veteran Announces Retirement Following Win at UFC Vegas 114

"Ya Boi" took his gloves off in the cage at the Meta APEX.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

A longtime UFC veteran that plied his trade in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions got his hand raised for the final time at UFC Vegas 114.

Following last weekend’s UFC 326 card at T-Mobile Arena that saw Charles Oliveira dominate Max Holloway in the night’s main event, the world’s leading MMA promotion remained home in Las Vegas on Saturday for another UFC Fight Night show at the Meta APEX.

Headlined by a huge featherweight contest between former interim title challenger Josh Emmett and rising contender Kevin Vallejos, the prelims for UFC Vegas 114 also featured a middleweight matchup between UFC veterans Brad Tavares and Eryk Anders.

Eryk Anders Retires After UFC Vegas 114 Victory

Entering the night as a small favorite to get his hand raised, Anders struggled to bring Tavares to the canvas during the opening round but did drop the Hawaiian with a big punch that put him in the driver’s seat headed into the second frame.

It was Anders who ended up getting dropped during a second round where “Ya Boi” still managed to find some moments of big success, and during the final five minutes the 38-year-old was finally able to crack Tavares’ typically-stalwart takedown defense and put together a significant chunk of top control time.

Anders won all three rounds on one judge’s scorecard and two out of three rounds from the other two judges to secure a unanimous decision. Following the victory, Anders removed his gloves and announced that he was retiring from fighting.

"Ya Boi" Headlined A UFC Fight Night Event In 2018

UFC Vegas 114 marked Anders 20th Octagon appearance, and he also managed to close his career out on a high note after being stopped in the first round of a fight with Christian Leroy Duncan last August.

Just one month after he extended his undefeated record to 8-0 by defeating current top-ranked UFC middleweight Brendan Allen in a fight for the inaugural LFA middleweight belt at LFA 14, Anders made his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 25 and knocked out Rafael Natal in the opening round. A follow-up win over Markus Perez earned Anders a main event opportunity against former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Lyoto Machida, who earned a split decision to hand Anders the first loss of his professional MMA career.

Lyoto Machida (red gloves) fights Eryk Anders (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Mangueirinho Arena.
Lyoto Machida (red gloves) fights Eryk Anders (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Mangueirinho Arena. | Jason Silva-Imagn Images

After a first-round knockout against Tim Williams preceded a three-fight skid, the former Alabama football player went on to bounce between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions while experiencing mixed success over the next few years.

Chris Weidman (red gloves) fights Eryk Anders (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena.
Chris Weidman (red gloves) fights Eryk Anders (blue gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Arguably Anders’ most impressive win came in 2024 when he stopped former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman at UFC 310. Overall, “Ya Boi” closed out his fighting career with an 18-9 record that included a 10-9 (1 NC) run with the UFC.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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