Julian Erosa will be making the walk to the Octagon for the final time.
Erosa is set to make his 19th walk to the Octagon on Saturday at UFC Vegas 123 against Jeong Yeong Lee on the prelims of Saturday’s card from the Apex. Ahead of the fight, Erosa confirmed this will be his retirement fight, which is something he has thought about for a while now.
“It’s been something that is in the back of my mind for a while,” Erosa said to BJPENN.com. “I don’t want fighting to retire me; I want to retire from fighting. One of the big things that contributed to that is watching Darren Elkins’ interviews in his last fight, hearing him talk; I don’t want it to be like that. I don’t want to be 42, 43 and not have my wits about me.
“I’m at the point of my life, I have a two-and-a-half-year-old, and what is most important to me is my health. I love fighting, but it is a short-lived career, and I am satisfied with what I’ve done; I am content with moving on. I’m ready to move on.”
Erosa will take on Lee in his retirement fight, who’s on a two-fight losing skid and could be fighting for his job. Although he didn’t know much about Lee, he knows it should be a fun fight.
Julian Erosa expecting fan-friendly fight at UFC Vegas 123
“I had no idea who he was beforehand, but there are a lot of guys in the UFC that I don’t know; it’s hard to keep track of everybody,” Erosa said. “He’s a kid that likes to bang it out in the middle of the Octagon, so there won’t be a lack of action.”
Although Erosa is known for his fan-friendly style and chaotic fights, this one might not be. Instead, he is just focused on getting the win and ending his career with a victory.
“I really want to get this win; a lot of people talk about retirement and whatever happens, happens,” Erosa said. “That is not me; I’ve been giving everything because I want to get this win and retire with my gloves in the cage and my hand raised. If I lose, this will be my last fight as well, because if I don’t, it will always be one more fight. Win, lose, or draw, this will be it.”
Regardless of how this fight plays out, Erosa knows this is it and is hoping he can end his career with a submission win.
“A little bit of wrestling and grappling would be advantageous to me. I think I can win a boring fight, but I’ve never been in a boring fight, so I would like to go out and choke him out, but maybe we just stand and bang it out,” Erosa concluded.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
