UFC, Bellator veteran Gerald Harris announces retirement from MMA

After 34 professional fights, Gerald Harris is hanging up the gloves.

Sunday morning, Harris (25-8-1 MMA) posted a video of himself making his retirement announcement after his final fight Saturday night. Following a win over fellow UFC veteran Seth Baczynski at C3 Fights 48, Harris grabbed the microphone and told his Oklahoma home-state crowd he’s walking away from MMA.

“I went to Bellator and I lost every single fight. Four fights. Three losses and a draw,” Harris said. “I could have quit, (but) I wanted to end my career with a win. It wasn’t easy. I picked a tough-ass opponent –11-time UFC vet. It wasn’t pretty, but I got the job done.

“Another thing – I had a horrible injury in camp four weeks ago, but I still showed up. I could have canceled this fight. Support your local fighters. I swear to God, this is my last fight. That (expletive) hurt. Thank you all.”

Harris competed in the UFC four times, going 3-1. Despite his success, he was released in late 2010. Harris then competed on the regional scene before signing with World Series of Fighting (WSOF), where he went 1-1.

The retirement is Harris’ third. In 2013, Harris retired for the first time and remained inactive for over three years. In 2016, Harris returned to action at Legacy FC 63, winning by his signature knockout slam, and briefly retired again before getting his Bellator opportunity.

In early 2018, Harris signed a deal with Bellator. He competed four times, losing to future champ Rafael Lovato Jr., Yaroslav Amosov, and most recently Anatoly Tokov. He also drew with Hracho Darpinyan.