Another Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor has called it a career.
This time, it’s 14-fight veteran James Moontasri. “Moonwalker” started his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career back in Aug. 2008. He submitted Jade Delong 37 seconds into the second round. Moontasri would go on defeat his next three opponents, which included a knockout victory over Tim Lindsay.
His record on the regional circuit was 7-1. Moontasri’s knockout over Jordan Rinaldi at RFA 15 earned him a UFC contract. He fell short to Joe Ellenberger in his UFC debut, but bounced back with a second-round rear-naked choke submission over Cody Pfister.
Moontasri’s next bout was against Kevin Lee. “The Motown Phenom” submitted Moontasri in the first round with a rear-naked choke. “Moonwalker” once again got back in the win column with a highlight reel spinning back kick into a spinning back fist TKO over Anton Zafir.
It would end up being the final win of his career.
The next two bouts for Moontasri ended in unanimous decision losses. Back in July 2016 he was defeated by “Cowboy” Alex Oliveira. He was then beaten by Alex Morono two months ago at a UFC on FOX event. It was the first time Moontasri had suffered two straight losses.
“Moonwalker” took to his Instagram account to make his retirement announcement. You can see what he said below:
“Thank you to the UFC and all of the people who have supported me. I have been given so many fair opportunities and I am very proud of everything I was able to accomplish. I’m proud of myself and now I am excited for a new chapter in my life. Martial Arts is my life and that will never change. Thank you to my Big J, my management, my team, my coaches, and my amazing fans. I love you all very much #moonwalker #retired”
