Yves Edwards retires from MMA following 17-year career
Following 21 fights in the UFC and a career that spanned more than 17 years, Yves Edwards has decided to retire from mixed martial arts.
The veteran lightweight made the announcement via his Facebook page on Sunday.
"Fighting has been a part of my life ever since I was 17 and that makes this a hard pill to swallow but it's time for me to end this chapter and move on to the next part of my life," Edwards wrote. "So thank you again to all the people that have supported me through this, whether it was through cheers, training, coaching or anything else at all."
Edwards began his fight career back in 1997 competing in World Pankration Championships while facing a litany of tough fights before making it to the UFC in 2001. Never one to back down from a challenge, Edwards faced many fighters well out of his own weight class during his early days including future middleweight contender Nate Marquardt.
When he got to the UFC, Edwards became one of the top lightweights in the promotion and was likely the uncrowned champion after knocking out Josh Thomson with a head kick at UFC 49 in 2004, but unfortunately the promotion opted to do away with the division before he ever had a chance to compete for the title.
Edwards would go on to fight in PRIDE Fighting Championships as well as Elite XC before returning to the UFC in 2010.
In his final stint with the promotion, Edwards managed to pick up all three available bonuses including a 'Knockout of the Night' over Jeremy Stephens as well as the rare double bonus for 'Fight of the Night' and 'Submission of the Night' with his win over Cody McKenzie.
Edwards retires following a submission defeat to Akbarh Arreola at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson in Austin, which also happens to be the fighter's hometown.
Edwards leaves the sport of MMA with a record of 42-22-1 with one no contest and a reputation for being one of the truly good people connected to the fight game.
