Brian Ebersole

Time for me to take a new role in this sport/industry. One more suited to my age!!!

Before his fight Saturday night with Omari Akhmedov at UFC Fight Night 68 on Saturday, Brian Ebersole said he was retiring.

“I’m getting old, I’m getting up there,” said Ebersole to Matt Erickson for MMAjunkie. “I planned on retiring in November after the fight in Melbourne, but we’ll call it a night tonight. I’ve had a long career in MMA, a long career in wrestling and this (leg) has been bugging me throughout my camp. It was just lingering stuff. You try to go harder, and things start to flare up. I’ve been very bipolar in my training camp: sprint, rest, and rest longer, then wake up and sprint. It’s been a hard camp. The stress of worrying about being healthy and worrying about my performance – it’s too much.”

Ebersole was unable to come out for the second round Saturday, due to a knee injury. And he reiterated that he is done.

“I'm old, everything hurts,” said Ebersole to Anton Tabuena for BE. “Lifetime of wrestling takes a toll on you, getting your head pulled, knees banged up. I'm going to leave it to the young guys now. That's it for me.”

Ebersole retires at 34, wth a record of 51-17-1 with 1 No Contest, across 15 years. Career wins include Chris Lytle, Carlos Newton, and Dennis Hallman. Although he is done fighting, the fighter has accumulated an extraordinary wealth of fight knowledge that he will make use of for years to come as a coach.