Julian Erosa plans to hang up the gloves at UFC Fight Night 292.
It's not a decision that Erosa (31-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) came to lightly, but rather one he kind of forced upon himself, knowing that he would want to continue to compete, especially if he gets a win over Jeong Yeong Lee (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Oct. 31 to snap a two-fight skid.
While Erosa may not have the biggest name in the UFC, he's a fan favorite amongst hardcore fans because he always puts on entertaining fights. Since his second UFC stint began in 2020, he's earned three Fight of the Night bonuses and delivered several thrilling highlight finishes. However, "Juicy J" says the time to hang 'em up is now, so he can go out on his own terms.
"I haven't really made it a big deal, but this will be my last fight," Erosa told Fanatics View. "... I just wanted to give myself one more opportunity to try to get my hand raised, but I wanted to make it a date of when I was going to be done, becuase I think the problem is win, lose or draw, I'm going to want to fight again. So, I have to make a date, because if I win the fight, all I want to do after I win a fight is do it again, becase it's like the best feeling, obviously, for us fighters is to win a fight in the UFC.
"So, I think it's actually harder if I win my fight for me to want to hang it up because, 'Why am I going to hang it up? I'm doing good. Let's keep this going.' But if I lose, all I'm going to want is redemption. So, win, lose or draw, I think it's just going to be something I'm going to want to do again anyway. So, I have to make the conscious decision beforehand that this is going to be my last fight, and be happy with that – be OK with that."
Erosa, 37, has planned to move back to his home state, Washington, to focus on life after fighting, which includes focusing on family and business. He also admits training is becoming more of a grind, as he recognizes that the younger fighters in the gym bring more energy and are catching up in skill.
"The order of things that are important in my life has switched a little bit after having my son," Erosa said. "Fighting used to be my life, and now I have other things that are on top of that. So, I got to look out for those things, and you know, if I can get out of fighting with my health intact, that's what I want."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Julian Erosa reveals why UFC Fight Night 292 will be his final bout