Hailey Cowan has announced her retirement from MMA following her most recent UFC Belgrade bout. Cowan finishes her UFC tenure with a 0-4 record and an overall MMA mark of 7-6.
Hailey Cowan has announced her retirement from mixed martial arts, stepping away from the sport following her most recent appearance at UFC Belgrade. The American fighter closes out her UFC career with a 0-4 record under the promotion's banner, ending her overall professional run with a mark of 7-6.
Cowan, 34, competed in the women's division as a southpaw out of Blitz MMA in the United States. Standing five-foot-eight with a 67-inch reach, she was a physically capable competitor who showed a willingness to mix the fight up. During her UFC tenure she averaged 2.66 significant strikes landed per minute at a 43 percent striking accuracy rate, while also posing a takedown threat at nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes of action.
Despite those activity numbers, results inside the Octagon proved elusive. The four-fight losing streak in the UFC was enough for Cowan to decide the time had come to walk away, and she made the announcement public following her Belgrade outing.
Why it matters
- Cowan departs with seven professional wins, showing she had the tools to compete at regional and lower levels of the sport.
- Her UFC stint highlighted the steep step up in competition that comes with the promotion, a reality many fighters face after building respectable records elsewhere.
- At 34, the retirement marks the end of a career that spanned both regional circuits and the world's top MMA stage.
