By Brian Mazique Contributor Josh Hedges
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 25: A detail shot of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gloves as he … More announces his retirement in the Octagon after his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on October 25, 2020 on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Cheyanne Vlismas put family first.
She took to Instagram to announce her retirement from mixed martial arts, despite obvious talent and the star power to make a mark in the strawweight or flyweight divisions in the UFC.
Vlismas made her announcement on Instagram, citing the need to spend time with her young children. The now-30-year-old, aka The Warrior Princess, made the announcement two days before her milestone birthday.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Cheyanne Vlismas poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night … More weigh-in at UFC APEX on December 16, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Here is a look at Vlismas鈥 retirement message on IG.
As of today I am officially retired.
This decision comes with a lot of heartbreak. But this is something that I need to do. After having my second child, my time is very limited. I am unable to give 100% to my training without giving less of myself to my babies.
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This decision comes as I am choosing to be the parent that I wish I always had growing up.
As hard as this decision is鈥攂ecause I love fighting so much with all my heart鈥攎y kids will always be put first.I know I am young and I could make a comeback, but my decision came down to: could I leave my kids for two months for a training camp? I simply cannot do so.
Thank you to all my coaches @dennisdavismma @sugarraysefo @richiequan @eric_xcmma @xcmma, teammates throughout the years that were always there for me. Most importantly, my family, and thank you to @mickmaynard2 and the UFC. This was a dream. I didn鈥檛 get to fulfill all my dreams, but I made it to the highest level, and now I鈥檓 going to choose to give my all to being a mother.And lastly, thank you to all my fans. 馃檹馃徏
I hope one day my kids will know their mother gave her all to being the best I can be for them, because this is not an easy goodbye for me. 馃檹馃徏鉂わ笍
While Vlismas never became a household name, she made a memorable mark in the UFC during the pandemic. The UFC was one of the only major sports organizations that never shut down during 2020, and Vlismas had her best moments in MMA from 2020鈥21.
In August 2020, Vlismas earned a contract with the UFC after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Hilarie Rose on the Dana White Contender Series. That win led to her promotional debut with the UFC in March 2021 against Montserrat Conejo Ruiz.
While Vlismas took the loss in that fight, she bounced back with consecutive wins in her next two Octagon appearances, cashing in with performance bonuses in both fights.
In July 2021, Vlismas won a Performance of the Night bonus when she defeated Gloria de Paula via KO. The sequence was set up with a head kick and follow-up punch that caught fight fans鈥 and the UFC brass鈥 attention.
The finish came after a grappling sequence. De Paula was on the bottom initially and Vlismas stood up. De Paula followed but did not protect herself as she rose to her feet, and Vlismas made her pay with a vicious head kick. Vlismas got the finish as she followed with ground and pound until the referee called an end to the fight.
In case you missed it, here鈥檚 a look at the fight.
In her next fight, Vlismas earned a unanimous decision victory over Mallory Martin in December 2021. While Vlismas didn鈥檛 get the finish, she and Martin did earn Fight of the Night honors and the bonus that goes with it.
With tons of momentum professionally and on the heels of back-to-back bonuses, Vlismas hit a long period of inactivity. She was supposed to fight Tabatha Ricci in October 2022 but withdrew.
Vlismas didn鈥檛 fight again until December 2022. She took on Cory McKenna and fell via unanimous decision. As it turned out, the loss to McKenna was Vlismas鈥 last fight as a professional.
With two small children to care for, Vlismas steps away at an age and time when she might still be capable of being a factor in the UFC鈥檚 women鈥檚 strawweight division. The division is seemingly ready for a change, as Weili Zhang looks poised to make the jump to flyweight sometime soon.
Could Vlismas become a contender? Perhaps, and based on the overall weakness of the division, it seems logical she could fight her way to an official ranking.
As it is, Vlismas walks away focused on family.
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