After nearly 15 years as a pro fighter, a UFC flyweight has decided to hang up the gloves.
Matt Schnell on Sunday posted on social media that “it’s time to move on” after he lost for the fifth time in six fights. All of those losses have been by stoppage, including the past two in the first round.
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Schnell (17-11 MMA, 7-9 UFC) was pounded out by Alessandro Costa (16-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) to close out the prelims at UFC Fight Night 278 at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Unlike a fight he lost in September 2024 to Cody Durden, Schnell did not leave his gloves in the cage after he lost to Costa. He did that against Durden — something he admitted this past week was him throwing “a fit” thinking he was going to get cut — but didn’t actually retire.
This time, he says it’s real, or as real as MMA retirements get, anyway.
“Never made an excuse. Never took a short cut. Never leveraged my relationships. Always with dignity,” Schnell posted. “So grateful for the journey. Everything in this world I have, I owe to fighting. And it didn’t come without a cost. I’ve left more than a piece of myself within the walls of that octagon. And I would do it again. I believe it’s time to move on with the next step in my journey. Thank you to my friends and family for all the years of support and encouragement. To my wife and children, dad always erred in order to provide. To the Maynard’s and the @ufc, you changed my life. Now I rest and advocate for the next generation. I believe my experiences have positioned me uniquely to give back to this sport and my regions fighters. I intend to do just that. ⚠️🇺🇸 #DaddyDanger #FatherOfThree”
