Felicia Spencer, a former UFC title challenger, has announced her retirement from the sport. In what turned out to be her last match, the 31-year-old took on Leah Letson at UFC Fight Night 197 and won the fight via TKO in round 3. As Spencer looked extremely impressive in her match, the retirement news came as a shock to fans.

In a statement made to Fight Bananas, she said, “I have decided to stop pursuing this opportunity and have no intention to continue fighting. I felt as good as I’ve ever been in my last fight, and know I could have more great performances, but after 18 fights, including a few “wars,” I know in my heart for my future mental health that I shouldn’t be in more of those wars.”

“In the fight game that isn’t guaranteed, and I’ve shown myself that I won’t give up in the cage, so I need to protect myself by just not stepping in there. I’m thinking about myself and family 25 years from now. Mental health is an important consideration in my family,” she added.

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Felicia Spencer’s career

‘Feenom’ was one of the most exciting fighters in women’s MMA and always went hard. She has fought against some of the biggest names in the sport and has held her own against them.

Before turning 20, she was trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing and transitioned into MMA later. After amassing a 5-1 record in her amateur career, Invicta FC signed her. Felicia Spencer went on a six-fight win streak and finished four of the first six fights. Her performances caught the eye of the UFC and the promotion signed her in 2019.

In her first fight for the UFC, she defeated Megan Anderson in the first round via submission. After the impressive win, she took on one of the greatest women’s MMA fighters of all time, Cris Cyborg. She held her own against her and took her the distance in a hard-fought battle. Spencer saw her stock rise despite tasting defeat and made a statement in her next fight, which she won against Zarah Fairn via TKO.

The win earned her a title shot against Amanda Nunes, but she came up short. She lost the fight via a unanimous decision at UFC 250. Spencer, in her most recent performance, put on a dominant show against Leah Letson and won in the third round via TKO. She ended her career with a 9-3 record.

It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the former Invicta FC women’s featherweight champion.

Were you surprised by Felicia Spencer’s announcement? Let us know in the comments!

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