Peter Sobotta’s defeat at UFC on ESPN 14 may have been his last appearance inside the cage.
Polish-German welterweight Sobotta (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) suffered only his third loss in a decade when he fell to a unanimous decision defeat against Brazil’s Alex Oliveira Saturday night in Abu Dhabi.
Sobotta lost all three rounds on all three scorecards as he registered back-to-back defeats for the first time since the three-fight skid that marked the start of his UFC career back in 2009 and 2010.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win tonight,” began a clearly demoralized Sobotta, critiquing his performance in an Instagram post (via translation). “I’m also not particularly well. I broke my right arm early in the fight, my face had to be sewn in four places. I’m not looking for excuses. I was the worse fighter tonight. Not ready to grit your teeth and go forward. Too little pressure, too little courage, too few hits. I could not play my greatest strength because several takedown attempts failed. Oliveira deservedly won.”
The defeat, and his assessment of his performance in that loss, led Sobotta to suggest that his fighting career may now be over.
“I have to recognize that my path as an active MMA fighter ends after 17 years,” he said. “I felt that in the ring today. I really love this sport with all my heart and this decision hurts more than any broken bones and ligaments. But I just don’t have the toughness, robustness and willingness to take risks to fight at the top.
“It was a damn wild ride and I am infinitely grateful for the emotions and experiences that I was able to experience. Thanks to EVERYONE who accompanied and supported me.”
Sobotta, who represented both the country of his birth (Poland) and his home nation of Germany, also flew the flag of Jamaica later in his career after expressing his wish not to upset one of his home nations by flying the flag of the other.
The 33-year-old experienced two stints with the UFC, with his first ending after three back-to-back losses. But Sobotta rebounded and, after reeling off five submission finishes in a row – including three in one night – he was re-signed by the UFC and claimed back-to-back wins in Berlin with victories over Pawel Pawlak and Steve Kennedy before being stopped by Kyle Noke at UFC 193 in November 2015.
Once again, Sobotta bounced back as he claimed victories over Nicolas Dalby and Ben Saunders before suffering a TKO loss to Leon Edwards, then Saturday’s decision defeat to Oliveira.
Peter Sobotta hints at retirement after UFC on ESPN 14 loss: 'It was a damn wild ride'
