Jeff Monson has called time on his career, which includes 91 MMA fights, for a second time.
It was announced earlier this month that UFC legend Chris Leben would be making his return to MMA next month following a 13-year hiatus from the sport.
His rematch with Yoshihiro Akiyama has been billed as the Japanese veteran’s retirement fight, with it seeming likely that both men will hang up their gloves.
The rare double retirement is exactly what happened this past weekend in Belarus following a clash for the IBA Legend heavyweight title.
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Which retired fighter would you want to see come back for one more?
Jeff Monson and Ivan Sholtoianu both retire following IBA Legend title fight
On October 25, Jeff Monson was defeated by Ivan Sholtoianu in their title fight at IBA.PRO 21 in Brest, Belarus.
The 59-year-old Sholtoianu won via 40-36 scorecards after going four rounds with his 55-year-old opponent.
Following their clash for the IBA Legend title, both men announced their retirement immediately after the result was made official.
For Monson, this was his first bout in over two years, though he previously said that he was done with all forms of competition back in 2021.
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‘The Snowman’ has a staggering MMA record of 61-27-3 and has competed in a long list of promotions.
Having already faced the likes of Chuck Liddell in three Octagon outings, Monson made his UFC return in 2006 and put together three consecutive wins.
This led to him challenging Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title at UFC 65, in which he came up short via unanimous decision.
After this fight, he asked for his release from the promotion in hopes of securing a fight with Fedor Emelianenko, though this only came to fruition in 2011.
He also competed against the likes of Daniel Cormier, Mark Kerr, and Josh Barnett in the years following his UFC exit.
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