The UFC 332 audience witnessed a deeply emotional moment at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the sport’s true veterans, with 37 professional fights to his name, rode off into the sunset.

At 41, Court McGee fought Eric Nolan in a welterweight showdown at UFC 332 prelims and displayed immense heart inside the Octagon. The veteran showed his aggressive intent in the first round, tagging Nolan multiple times. However, the 29-year-old quickly began to seize control of the fight, getting the better of the exchanges

The bout remained exhilarating in the second round as well, with both fighters having their moments. Still, Nolan clearly held the upper hand, landing the more damaging strikes. Despite getting stunned multiple times, the UFC veteran stood his ground in front of his home crowd and nearly made it to the final bell. However, Nolan cracked him with a straight right in the third round to secure the knockout victory at the 3:26 mark.

Right after the bout ended, ‘The Crusher’ confirmed that this was the end of his journey inside the UFC Octagon, closing the book on a career that spanned almost two decades.

“Hey, thank you to everybody who came,” McGee said in his UFC 332 Octagon interview. “Listen, none of this would have been possible. Twenty years ago, I got sober, and for 16 years, I have been fighting the best guys in the world. My hat is off to Eric tonight. I left everything in this cage every time I fought. I grew up 20 miles from here. Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t achieve your dreams.

“I know my wife was gonna come here, but Chelsea is out there, all my friends and family. Thank you to all the coaches. Everybody that’s helped me over the years… I’m so grateful for this. Dana, throw us some bonus for my retirement and come to my afterparty. I’m having one.”

Court McGee’s retirement announcement didn’t come as a complete surprise, because he hinted at it multiple times in the build-up to his last fight at UFC 332. During an interview with MMA Fighting before the UFC 332 bout, McGee disclosed that his fight against Nolan was the last on his contract, and he wanted it to be the final chapter of his UFC career.

Besides the contract, McGee’s decision to retire also stems from his rocky later UFC run. The Ogden native lost 05 of his last 06 fights. Interestingly, his last win came against Tim Means at UFC 307 in his home state of Utah on October 5, 2024, two years ago.

However, even though McGee’s run turned lackluster at the end, his overall contributions to the cage are nothing short of remarkable.

After winning The Ultimate Fighter 11 finale against Kris McCray, Court McGee made his UFC debut in 2010. During his run, ‘The Crusher’ defeated names like Tim Means, Ramiz Brahimaj, and Claudio Silva. But the most notable win of his career came against Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 27 in 2013. 

Outside of the wins, McGee shared the cage with the likes of Sean Strickland, Carlos Condit, Michael Chiesa, and Matt Brown, etching his name in the history of the UFC. Following his latest fight, McGee will leave Dana White’s banner with an 11-14 record. Plus, his overall professional record stands at 22-15 across 37 professional fights.

Following Court McGee’s retirement, fans flooded social media with farewell messages, paying heartfelt tribute to the seasoned fighter for his contributions inside the cage over so many years

Fans bid “farewell” to 37-fight veteran after retirement following UFC 332 loss

One emotional fan wrote, “Farewell, Court McGee.” Another fan brought up McGee’s win over Robert Whittaker, “People forget man Court McGee beat Robert Whittaker.”

Another user echoed the sentiment and commented, “Thank you for the years of being a warrior, Court.”

Though Court McGee is well known for his professional victories over fighters like Whittaker and Means, his stint on The Ultimate Fighter remains a defining part of his career. He beat names like Brad Tavares and James Hammortree, but those wins came 16 years ago in 2010.

Recalling that McGee has been fighting for so long, another fan shared a tribute, “Makes me feel old, remember him on TUF.” Another fan showed respect to the retired veteran, writing, “He won the first season of TUF I ever watched. Huge respect for that man 🫡.”

Other than McGee, UFC fans saw another great name, Edson Barboza, finally announce his retirement at UFC 330 in August.

After that, featherweight veteran Cub Swanson also retired at UFC 327 in Miami. So, 2026 has been a year of seasoned fighters stepping away from the sport. In fact, Stephen Thompson is already set for his retirement vs. Charles Radtke at UFC 334 in Madison Square Garden on November 14th.

That said, there’s not much left to say but to wish Court McGee well in all his future endeavors.