UFC Fan Favorite Officially Announces MMA Retirement After 10-Year UFC Career

"Danger" suffered his second loss in a row on last Saturday's UFC card.

(Zuffa LLC)

A 17-fight veteran of the UFC has officially announced his retirement from MMA for the second time following his recent loss.

Leading up to this Sunday’s “UFC Freedom 250” card that’s currently threatened by a potential lawsuit, the UFC kicked off its June schedule last Saturday with a UFC Fight Night event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, NV.

The 12-fight card closed out with Gabriel Bonfim’s comprehensive decision win over former UFC welterweight titleholder Belal Muhammad. Although the proceedings ended with three-straight decisions, the card featured seven finishes out of its first nine bouts.

Matt Schnell Announces Retirement After Loss at UFC Vegas 118

The prelim action for UFC Vegas 118 concluded with a flyweight matchup between Matt Schnell and Alessandro Costa, who was heavily favored to get his hand raised after stopping Stewart Nicoll in his previous outing in April.

Costa ended up stopping Schnell with strikes just over halfway through the opening round, although “Danger” immediately protested the stoppage once the referee stepped in. Taking to social media the day after the fight, Schnell announced that he was officially hanging up his gloves after suffering his second loss in a row.

Schnell’s announcement actually marks the second time that he’s retired from MMA, as the 36-year-old previously left his gloves in the cage following a loss to Cody Durden in 2024 before he returned less than a year later.

"Danger" Joined the UFC Through Season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter

Following a 10-2 amateur run and identical start to his professional MMA career, Schnell joined the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 24 in 2016 and defeated Matthew Rizzo before being submitted by Tim Elliott, who went on to win the season and challenge Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight belt.  

Matt Schnell (red gloves) fights Jimmy Flick (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

“Danger” was still invited to join the UFC roster and was stopped in back-to-back fights before rebounding with four-straight wins. That ended up being the best run of his UFC career, though he did go on to share the cage with future UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja, as well as title challengers Brandon Royval and Steve Erceg.

Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights Matt Schnell (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Sajik Arena. | Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

Schnell’s incredible comeback-win over Sumudaerji in 2022 likely stands out in the minds of most MMA fans as the defining moment of his UFC career, and his incredible toughness was always on display whenever he stepped into the cage.

Matt Schnell (red gloves) fights Sumudaerji (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at UBS Arena. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The 34-year-old returned from his initial retirement to defeat Jimmy Flick in April of last year, and he ends his career after suffering back-to-back losses in the first round to Joseph Morales and Costa.