UFC lightweight Aaron Riley announces retirement following UFC on FOX 8 defeat

Aaron Riley (30-14-1), who has fought nine times under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition on Saturday (July 27, 2013) following a split decision loss to Justin Salas at UFC on FOX 8.

The 32-year-old lightweight is one of the original pioneers of the lighter weight classes in the sport, as his career dates back the course of 45 professional fights to July 18, 1997.

Riley may have found himself on the chopping block from the UFC after suffering his third loss in his past four trips to the Octagon against Salas; however, that matters not as he informed the world via Twitter that his long and illustrious career has officially come to an end.

"Fight my last MMA fight tonight. It's been fun but after 16 years I'm calling it good," Riley wrote. "Thanks to everyone who ever supported my career."

The Jackson's MMA trained fighter has endured a tough stretch as of late, as he was only able to compete twice in just over three years due to injury problems such as the broken jaw he received against Tony Ferguson at UFC 135.

While a two-fight losing streak is certainly not how Riley wanted to go out, he had a memorable career and competed in organizations around the globe from HOOKnSHOOT to IFL to PRIDE and finally the UFC.

His underwhelming record of 3-6 inside the Octagon is not exactly cause for Hall of Fame status, but that matters not because Riley will be remembered for his style of fighting when the cage door closes, not his record when he left it.

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