Oldest active fighter on UFC roster retires from MMA after third-straight loss

A former The Ultimate Fighter semifinalist and veteran of the UFC has officially announced his retirement from MMA.

The UFC has kept a busy travel schedule as of late with visits to Miami, Kansas City, and Des Moines this month, and April also saw the promotion return to London before heading to the Arena CDMX in Mexico City the following weekend.

UFC Mexico saw Brandon Moreno best Steve Erceg in the flyweight main event to close out a night packed with entertaining fights, one of which was a lightweight bout where Rafa Garcia defeated Vinc Pichel via unanimous decision.

Vinc Pichel vs. Rafa Garcia. | (Zuffa LLC)

Vinc Pichel Announces Retirement

After losing a closely-contested affair to Garcia at UFC Mexico, Pichel took to social media to announce his retirement after 19 professional fights.

There is so much to say.
The short version: At 42 years old, I’m officially retiring from competing in MMA.

The long version: I’m sad, I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m afraid. I’m grateful to everyone who was with me or part of my MMA career and there are too many to list,
— Vinc Pichel 🇺🇸 (@FromHellPichel) April 28, 2025

Well this is it, as I walk away I’ll leave you with this: Do what feels right, don’t apologize for being you, be yourself, learn what you can from who you can, no regret’s and most importantly, HAVE FUN! #FromHellPichel #Grateful #Retirement
— Vinc Pichel 🇺🇸 (@FromHellPichel) April 28, 2025

The loss to Garcia was Pichel’s third in a row after he also came up short against Ismael Bonfim at UFC 301 last year, and before that “From Hell” was sidelined for nearly two years following his loss to then-undefeated lightweight Mark Madsen at UFC 273.

Significant layoffs were unfortunately a frequent issue during Pichel’s career and likely kept the 42-year-old from accumulating more fights after making his pro debut in 2009, as the veteran only competed four times between late 2012 and the start of 2018 after losing to Al Iaquinta in the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 15.

Vinc Pichel during UFC 301 at Rio Arena. | Jason Silva-Imagn Images

“From Hell” retires after 12 UFC appearances, and that run included a four-fight win streak after losing his promotional debut to Rustam Khabilov as well as a three-fight win streak that immediately preceded his current losing run.

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