Hailey Cowan’s UFC career has come to an abrupt end. Just a day after losing to Nina Milosevic via first-round TKO at UFC Belgrade, the former Dana White’s Contender Series winner announced her retirement from mixed martial arts, bringing an end to a career that closed with four consecutive losses inside the Octagon.
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‘All Hail’ shared the news in an emotional Instagram post, reminiscing on the highs and lows of her journey.
“What a privilege it’s been to live a life of big dreams!” she titled the small announcement. “Big failures? Yep. Big successes? Oh yeah. Today was a hard day—I had a great camp and an incredible week here in Serbia. I was ready, healthy, and eager to put on a show. I fought well until I got hit with a body shot that shut the ole organs down.
“It is what it is. It sucks. But I made huge adjustments this camp, and I’m proud of that. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me over the past few years! I genuinely love you all!!”
Hailey Cowan also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to compete in the UFC.
“Most importantly, thank you, Jesus, for this dream, this platform, and this incredible life!” she continued. “I hope in my time in the UFC I was able to represent you well. 💜 Onto what’s next!”
The 34-year-old confessed further in the caption that she had been thinking about retiring for a while.
“Over the past few months, I’ve known I was getting close to the finish line,” she added. “This obviously isn’t how I wanted to end this beautiful ride, but I’m healthy, happy, and full of gratitude.
“I am forever thankful to the UFC for the opportunity. It wasn’t the UFC career I dreamed of, but life threw me some bombs, and I always overcame.”
Her final fight saw Serbia’s Nina Milosevic dominate from the opening exchanges of their women’s bantamweight bout. “Queen Beast” relentlessly targeted Cowan’s body before delivering a crushing punch to the midsection, forcing Cowan to turn away. She was then sent to the canvas by another straight blow to the body, prompting referee Jacob Montalvo to wave the fight off at 3:41 of the first round, a finish that earned Milosevic a $100,000 bonus.
The win marked Milosevic’s UFC debut, making her the first Serbian woman to win a bout on home soil that night; fellow Serbian Marina Spasić had been submitted by Stephanie Luciano in the first round earlier on the same card. Milosevic entered the night 9-1 overall, unbeaten and on an eight-fight win streak since turning pro in 2023, and had previously won IMMAF World Championship gold at the same Belgrade Arena three years earlier.
As for Hailey Cowan, this fight brought a sad end to a career that started off with a lot of promise.
Hailey Cowan never found her footing after earning a UFC contract
Hailey Cowan secured her UFC contract by defeating Claudia Leite in a split decision on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022. She didn’t have to wait long for her debut either, walking into the Octagon for the first time as a signed fighter the following April, against Jamey-Lyn Horth.
It wasn’t an ideal start. “All Hail” missed weight and lost via unanimous decision. Things only got tougher from there. After nearly two years on the sidelines, she returned in April 2025 and was submitted by Nora Cornolle in the first round. A year later, Alice Pereira knocked her out with a vicious flying knee.
That left UFC Belgrade as her final chance to win her first fight in the promotion, but Milosevic stopped her with body shots less than four minutes into the first round. The loss dropped Cowan to 0-4 in the UFC and brought her MMA career to a close with a 7-6 overall record.
Still, it wasn’t as if she failed completely in MMA. Before reaching the sport’s biggest stage, “All Hail” had built a solid resume on the regional scene. Cowan turned professional in 2018 after a brief amateur career, going 6-2 in LFA, winning at Invicta FC, and then taking advantage of her Contender Series opportunity to earn a UFC deal.
And even though her UFC career didn’t go as planned, she exits the sport having accomplished what every regional fighter strives for: making it to the world’s biggest MMA promotion.
