Twice-cut veteran Erosa closes career with comeback KO win

Veteran Julian Erosa (37, United States), who clawed his way back to the UFC octagon after being cut twice, capped his fighting career with a dramatic comeback knockout victory. The final opponent for the retiring fighter was South Korea's Lee Jung-young (30).

Erosa stopped Lee by punch KO at 1 minute 31 seconds of the first round in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan, held Sunday (Korean Standard Time) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Erosa had declared before the fight that he would retire regardless of the result. The win brought his career record to 32-13 overall and 10-9 in the UFC, closing out 16 years as a professional fighter.

The final victory was anything but easy. Seconds into the fight, Erosa was dropped by a left hook and a right overhand from Lee. Erosa survived by grabbing Lee's legs and attempting a takedown, but after getting back to his feet absorbed another hard right hand.

Erosa bought himself recovery time with a second takedown attempt, then restarted the striking exchange in the center of the octagon. When both fighters threw simultaneous overhands, Erosa's punch landed flush on Lee's chin. Erosa followed up with ground-and-pound to complete the comeback.

"He came in way harder than I expected, and I was rattled at first," Erosa said after the fight. "I kept telling myself to get it together mentally. All the adversity I've been through over so many fights and so many years is what allowed me to get through that moment."

Erosa's career was defined by setbacks. Turning professional in 2010, Erosa entered the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter Season 22 in 2015, only to be cut. A return via Dana White's Contender Series in 2018 ended in another release. In 2020, Erosa stepped into the UFC for a third time and competed for the next six years.

Having won his final fight after two cuts and three stints in the UFC, Erosa celebrated in the octagon with his wife and son.

Family was also the main reason for the retirement decision. "After my son was born, my priorities in life changed. Fighting used to be everything to me, but now my son is everything," Erosa said. "I want to stay healthy and be with him for as long as possible — and live to see his children grow up."

Erosa also explained why he had announced the retirement in advance. "I might wake up Tuesday morning and want to fight again, because that's how good I feel right now," Erosa said. "That's exactly why I decided to make this my last fight, win or lose."

Erosa also left a message for fighters who dream of returning to the UFC after being cut. "You have to go back to why you love fighting in the first place," Erosa said. "If it's your true dream, don't give up just because you got cut — keep going until the end." After retirement, Erosa plans to return to his home state of Washington and pursue a business venture unrelated to combat sports.

Lee, meanwhile, could not hold on to the early advantage and fell to three consecutive UFC losses. The Road to UFC Season 1 featherweight champion had gone 1-0 after his UFC debut before dropping three straight, leaving him 11-4 overall and 1-3 in the UFC.

In the main event, Tom Nolan (26, Australia) stopped Renato Moicano by TKO via ground punches and elbows at 1 minute 28 seconds of the third round. Nolan extended his UFC winning streak to six and positioned himself for a push into the top ranks of the lightweight division.