2 fighters retired after losses at UFC Vegas 87

UFC Vegas 87 marked the end of two fighters' respective careers in mixed martial arts.

The seventh Octagon event in 2024 featured several widely-priced betting lines due to five fighters bringing in undefeated records. As two of the bigger underdogs of the night, Tyson Pedro and Jamie Pickett both fell in featured fights before subsequently announcing their retirement from fighting.

Both fighters cited similar reasons for their retirement with different focuses in life due to prioritizing fatherhood. Both also lost by decision with Pickett succumbing to the wrestling pressure of Eryk Anders and Pedro being bested by Vitor Petrino.

Both fighters surprised most with their respective retirements though Pedro's announcement raised more eyebrows. Still just 32 years old, Pedro has not experienced the slide that Pickett had and entered UFC Vegas 87 off a first-round knockout of Anton Turkalj at UFC 293.

Watch Tyson Pedro's retirement interview

Few fans predicted a retirement from Pickett but many expected his bout with Anders to be the final one of his UFC career. In nine fights with the promotion, Pickett compiled a promotional record of 2-7 including losing the final five fights of his career. Having also lost twice on Dana White's Contender Series before finally earning a promotional contract, Pickett's final professional fighting record will remain 13-11.

As a slightly more accomplished fighter than Pickett, Pedro was granted a post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier following his co-main event loss before ceremoniously placing his gloves in the center of the cage. In his speech, Pedro hinted at a potential return in the future, calling his retirement a "see you later."

Watch Jamie Pickett's retirement interview

"[My career has] been amazing but it's always been my intention to show my daughter that as long as you work your a** off and grind doing what you love, you can do anything you can dream of, and I think my dreams have just changed at this point," Pedro told Cormier in the octagon following his loss. "So that's it for me with the UFC. Thank you to all the fans from the bottom of my heart. I don't think it's goodbye, just see you later so until then, thanks, everyone."

In his backstage post-fight media interviews, Pedro admitted that fighter pay played into his decision. The Australian claimed he may return to his home country's regional scenes but re-stated that his UFC run had ended.